Man convicted of molesting daughter four times
A man who was convicted of molesting his pre-teen daughter yesterday said he showed his private parts to her to educate her about appropriate behaviour in a relationship.
The 40-year-old molested the girl four times between September 2015 and October 2016 in their flat.
He had claimed trial to all four charges, arguing he had only shown her his private part to raise awareness about the boundaries in a friendship.
He later denied exposing himself at all, claiming he might have indicated the general area of his crotch to his children when advising them on their lives, Deputy Public Prosecutors Yvonne Poon and Tan Zhongshan said in written submissions.
In September 2015, the girl's grandmother told the man's wife, when the latter came home, that the victim had spent some time in the master bedroom with her father. The girl was then 12 years old.
The victim later told her mother he had molested her, then wiped her clean, and placed the used tissue in a plastic bag.
His wife confronted him and he confessed, crying and begging for forgiveness.
A year later, in September 2016, the man told the victim to enter the master bedroom, where he molested her again.
TWICE MORE
This happened twice more the following month.
The victim's grandmother lodged a police report in October 2016 after the victim told her what the man had done to her.
The DPPs argued that forensic evidence such as the man's DNA and indications of his semen had been found on the victim.
Although the victim's brother, mother, and the victim had given incriminating police statements earlier, they later distanced themselves from the statements.
At the trial, the victim claimed the police statements were untrue, and said her grandmother had made up the allegations. Her mother also claimed the signature on her statement was not hers.
The DPPs argued that little weight should be placed on what was said during the trial as all parties had a strong motive to lie to protect the man.
Calling for a sentence of at least five years' jail and nine strokes of the cane, DPP Tan said: "The offences were not spur of the moment events. As the victim's biological father, there was an extremely grave betrayal of trust."
District Judge Jasvender Kaur convicted the man based on the totality of the evidence.
The man is expected to be sentenced next Wednesday.
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