A 73-year-old man was sentenced to 13½ years in prison on October 19 after pleading guilty to multiple sexual offenses against his underage daughter, who was between the ages of 10 and 13 during the incidents. The offences occurred over a period spanning from 2021 to 2024.

The man faced charges including statutory rape, two counts of aggravated outrage of modesty, and one count of causing a child to commit an indecent act. Six additional sexual offence charges were also considered during sentencing. His identity has been withheld to protect the victim, who is currently 15 years old.

Court proceedings revealed that between 2021 and 2022, the man watched pornographic videos in the master bedroom while the victim was present. During this period, when she was about 10 to 12 years old, he asked her to perform an indecent act and subsequently raped her. According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Clara Low, the man warned his daughter not to disclose the abuse, telling her that he would be imprisoned and she would never see him again. This threat contributed to the victim's silence at the time.

In 2023, when the victim was approximately 12 to 13 years old, the man molested her again while lying beside her on a mattress. The victim reportedly froze out of fear. Between May and October 2024, the abuse continued when he entered her room and molested her on multiple occasions. During this period, he also exposed himself and compelled her to perform another indecent act.

The abuse came to light in October 2024 when the victim confided in a friend about the ongoing assaults and expressed suicidal thoughts. The friend notified a teacher, who then referred the case to the Child Protective Service (CPS) under the Ministry of Social and Family Development. A CPS representative filed a police report on October 23, 2024. The man was arrested the following day and has remained in remand since.

The prosecution sought a sentence between 14½ and 16 years but did not request caning. Deputy Public Prosecutor Daphne Lim noted that although the sentence meant the offender would be released in his 80s, his age was not considered a mitigating factor. She emphasized that despite his maturity, the man had repeatedly exploited the trust placed in him by his daughter to fulfill his "perverse desires."

The defense counsel, Joseph Yoong, advocated for a lighter sentence ranging from 11½ to 12½ years. The court ultimately decided on the 13½-year term.