A 71-year-old man was sentenced to 21 years in prison on September 17 for sexually abusing 11 girls over a period spanning more than three decades. The victims included his daughters, his son’s two daughters, and four nieces, as well as students from an enrichment centre operated by his wife from 1997 to 2021. The assaults, some involving children as young as five or six, occurred between 1990 and 2023.
The accused, who uses a wheelchair and suffers from a rare blood cancer called myelofibrosis, was previously imprisoned twice—first in 1999 and again in 2020—for molestation and sexual exploitation offences involving other victims. The latest cases surfaced only in August 2023 after two of his granddaughters confided in their mother about the abuse.
Due to a gag order aimed at protecting the victims' identities, the man’s name was not disclosed. Additionally, he cannot be subjected to corporal punishment because of his age. The High Court’s sentencing was presided over by Judge Mavis Chionh, who described the case as “a tragic instance of persistent sexual offending by a diagnosed paedophile against his own family members and trusted students.”
Judge Chionh highlighted the man’s repeated offenses despite prior arrests and convictions, emphasizing that his age and serious illness did not halt his criminal conduct. She rejected the defence’s plea for leniency based on his medical condition, stating that societal interests, including retribution, public protection, and deterrence, must take precedence. While the prosecution had sought a sentence of 32 to 36 years, the judge deemed this disproportionate compared with similar cases. A 26-year term was initially considered appropriate; however, it was reduced to 21 years to account for the man’s diminished life expectancy due to his terminal illness.
The man pleaded guilty in July to 10 charges involving six of the victims, including the rape of his daughter in 2005 when she was 15 and sexual assault by penetration of his seven-year-old granddaughter in 2023. Additional charges covered molestation, committing obscene acts involving children, showing pornography to minors, and acts of unnatural sex. Twenty-three other charges were taken into account during sentencing.
His pattern of abuse began in 1997 when he sexually assaulted his daughter at the age of six or seven. He threatened her to keep silent, warning that disclosure would lead to family breakdown and place blame on her. The abuse of his daughter ceased following the 2005 rape. After his release from prison in 2021, the man resumed offending, targeting the daughters of one of his sons in 2023. He exposed the older child to pornographic material before sexually violating her and molested the younger daughter, then five, on another occasion. Following disclosures in August 2023 by the younger child, their mother reported the matter to police.
Additional victims included nieces who were abused in the 1990s. One niece, molested between the ages of nine and twelve during visits for tuition, was given money and warnings not to reveal the abuse. Another niece’s abuse came to light in 2012 after family members confronted the man.
Judge Chionh underscored the severity of the man’s conduct, calling the full extent of his offending “appalling” and emphasizing the need for strong judicial response to protect vulnerable individuals and deter similar crimes.