SINGAPORE: A 47-year-old man admitted in court on Tuesday (Mar 17) to repeatedly molesting his 13-year-old daughter while they were alone at home.

The man, a Singapore permanent resident, cannot be named as it will identify the victim.



The court heard that he molested his daughter between August 2016 and July 2017, causing her pain and discomfort each time.

The victim lived with her mother, her four-year-old sister, the accused and a maid.

As the man had flexible working hours, he would pick the victim up from school while his wife was at work.

He first molested her in August or September 2016 by touching her privates.



In November 2016, the victim was in the master bedroom when her father entered, thinking she was asleep.

He pulled down her shorts and underwear and performed a sex act on her.

The teenager was awake and saw her father but did not know what to do. He eventually pulled her clothes back up and left the room.

In July 2017, the victim was home alone with her father, lying down in the master bedroom.

While she napped, her father again pulled down her shorts and underwear and molested her.

REPEATED ATTACKS

When she did not react, he removed his jeans and underwear and rubbed himself against his daughter.

He knew that she had woken up by this time, but continued his acts, before heading to the toilet to masturbate.

The final straw came on Jul 26, 2017.

As the victim was trying to sleep, her father removed her shorts and panties and took off his own jeans and underwear.

He tried to position himself on top of his daughter, but found it uncomfortable, so he lay down beside her.

He then placed her hand in between his legs and rubbed himself against her, before going to the toilet to masturbate.

The victim was awake throughout the ordeal but did not react as she did not know what to do.

She had felt pain and discomfort each time her father made contact with her privates, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh.

She did not tell her mother about the incidents as she did not know how to break the news to her, court documents said.

VICTIM TOLD SCHOOL COUNSELLOR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED

However, the latest incident caused her to feel more pain than usual, and she decided to take action.

She went to see her school counsellor the next day and told her that her father had "raped" her.

Child Protective Services were alerted and the victim later made a police report.

Arrangements were made for her to be removed from her parents' care and she was placed with a foster family.

She subsequently visited relatives in the Philippines at her mother's request and has not returned to Singapore since.

The man pleaded guilty to three counts of molest with another two charges taken into consideration.

For each charge of molesting a minor, the man faces a jail term of up to five years, a fine, caning, or any combination of these penalties.

He will return to court for mitigation and sentencing on Thursday.