Jail for man who sexually abused friend's son, 7

Out of jail and without a roof over his head, his friend took pity on him by letting him stay in his home.

But the ex-offender betrayed the goodwill and sexually abused his friend's seven-year-old son on three occasions.

The man's heinous acts had such an impact that the boy later asked his younger sister to perform the same sordid act on him.

Yesterday, the 56-year-old perpetrator, whom we shall call Nicholas, was jailed six years for his crimes.

He had been released from prison in 2009 after an earlier eight-year jail term for drug offences.

Nicholas then worked as a stall assistant at his friend's roti prata stall.

Knowing that Nicholas had nowhere else to stay, the friend allowed him to stay with his family in their HDB flat.

SEX ACTS

In December that year, Nicholas was alone in the flat with his friend's son.

He approached the boy and took him into a bedroom, took off the boy's shirt and made the boy perform a sex act on him.

Nicholas later gave the boy $5 and warned him to keep quiet about the incident.

Nicholas made the boy perform the same act on two other occasions in January 2010.

He moved out that same month.

In mid-2013, the boy asked his younger sister to perform oral sex on him.

Their parents found out and informed the police and Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Nicholas had previously been convicted for cheating, housebreaking, extortion and drugs offences since the 1970s.

Last month, he pleaded guilty to one count of sexually penetrating the boy without his consent, with two other similar charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

"He (your friend) trusted you and allowed you into his home with his family," said District Judge Jasvender Kaur.

"You grossly abused his trust and committed this serious offence against his son who was then a child of seven years."

Nicholas could have been jailed up to 20 years and fined.