‘Very shameful’ man makes daughter perform indecent act on him
A father who showed his 10-year-old daughter pornography and made her perform a sex act on him has been sentenced to 18 months’ jail.
Before handing down the sentence, Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh had strong words for the man.
“The offence you’ve committed against your own daughter was a very serious offence. It was very wrong, it was very shameful,” said Judge Soh.
The 55-year-old man had pleaded guilty on Aug 20 to one charge under the Children and Young Persons Act. He cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity.
One charge of showing pornography to a person under the age of 21, and another charge of possessing obscene films were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yohanes Ng said at the time of the offences in 2019, the man lived with his wife, parents-in-law, his two sons and the victim.
One day that year, the man, who regularly consumed alcohol, had drunk as usual and was feeling intoxicated at home.
The DPP said the man decided he wanted to obtain sexual pleasure, and asked his daughter to touch his private parts.
When she refused, the man took her hand and made her perform the indecent act.
On three or four other occasions, the man showed his daughter pornographic videos that he received from his friends, but did not do the same to his two sons.
The victim felt uncomfortable as a result of all these incidents but initially did not tell anyone, said the prosecutor.
She eventually made a police report in February 2023. Court documents do not state what prompted her to do so.
The man was arrested one day after the police report was made. The police found 140 obscene films on his mobile phone.
Appearing in court without a lawyer, the man said through an interpreter: “I truly regret what I’ve done. I am remorseful.”
The man added that he is the sole breadwinner, and asked for Judge Soh’s leniency.
DPP Ng wrote in his sentencing submissions that the role of a father in a child’s life ought to be a protector, provider and parent, but the accused abused his biological daughter’s trust for sexual gratification.
The prosecutor wrote: “He would be in prison for less of a time than the victim has had and will have to live with these memories of her own father. Having acted so callously against his own daughter to satisfy his own perverse desires, the accused must now bear the consequences of his actions.”
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