Man who raped three of his daughters found unfit for caning, gets another 10 months' jail
The man had raped three of his daughters and sexually abused a fourth. He also physically abused his wife and children.
File photo of the Supreme Court in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
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SINGAPORE: A man who raped three of his daughters and sexually abused a fourth was given another 10 months' jail by the High Court on Monday (Oct 24) as he cannot receive the 24 strokes of the cane meted out to him.
This is on top of his current jail term of 33 years and two months.
The 45-year-old Singaporean was certified to be permanently unfit for caning due to "mild congestive heart failure", the court heard.
The former freelance kids' adventure camp instructor had admitted to raping or sexually assaulting four of his daughters between 2004 and 2018.Â
His oldest daughter was sexually abused from the age of six or seven, and only his fifth and youngest daughter was spared.Â
The High Court, in sentencing him in March 2022, said he used his daughters as "his sex objects".
The man also starved his daughters when he was angry with them and physically abused his wife and son.
The wide-ranging abuse was unearthed after his daughter - the youngest of the abused - reported the case to the police in November 2018.
The prosecution sought 12 months' jail in lieu of the 24 strokes of the cane, citing the gravity of the man's conduct, his recalcitrance, his premeditation and his "contempt for the well-being of those who called him father and husband".
Jail time in lieu of caning has to be imposed to "compensate for the deterrent and retributive effects of caning which are lost as a result of the offender's exemption", said the prosecutors.
They pointed to the victim impact statements recorded from his abused daughters, who said they were "very traumatised" and still had nightmares.
One of them blamed herself that her siblings "did not have a father" and felt that she was "fighting this emotional battle alone".
Another said she "kept waking up in the middle of the night frequently and (crying) about her life", not wanting to ever have a father figure at home to remind her of what her dad did to her.
Three of the victims said they had difficulties trusting men as they feared a repetition of the abuse.
The man had mounted an appeal asking for a shorter jail term, saying some evidence in the case was "unclear" and that he hoped to do a mini-pilgrimage.
His appeal was dismissed in September 2022.
