A 64-year-old man was sentenced to 12 years of jail term on Friday for committing sexual offences against his grandson on two occasions. During the crime, that took place when both of them were alone at home, the victim was aged between seven and eight.
The names of the victim and the accused cannot be revealed as per the court's order. Since the convict's age is above 50, he cannot be punished with caning.
The victim and his parents moved into the house of his grandparents in March 2015. In the same month, one day when the boy was watching television after school, the accused asked his grandson to follow him into a room, where the man kissed the victim and undressed him and then himself to molest the minor.
But, when the convict heard that the maid entered the home, he stopped and dressed up. The court documents stated that the accused then told the boy to keep his mouth shut and wear clothes as any kind of revelation about the incident could create a problem for his parents.
As reported, the grandfather of the victim was sent to a drug rehabilitation centre from December 1, 2015, to September 18, 2016. But, after 10 days after his release, he again sexually assaulted the boy. Following his own modus operandi, the man asked the boy, who was eight then, to follow him into the bedroom and molested the victim by using his finger.
When the boy cried out because of pain, the culprit released him and asked him not to disclose anything about what happened. The court heard that after leaving the bedroom the accused went inside a bathroom, masturbated and washed his hands.
The mother came to know about the molestation after one month of the second incident. She noticed that the boy was playing with a mobile phone, even though she asked him to sleep early because the next morning she was supposed to visit a temple. However, after observing the boy, the unnamed mother told him that if he did not wake up early, then he would have to be at home with his grandfather. Then the boy told his mother that he did not want that as the man sexually assaulted him.
Later, when the mother of the boy confronted the grandfather, he accepted the crime and asked for forgiveness but the next day the woman filed a police complaint against him.
However, during the court hearing, the defence lawyer urged for an eight years' of a jail sentence. Pang Khang Chau, the Judicial Commissioner said that the facts presented by the defence that showed as per Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist the accused is neither a homosexual nor a paedophile, will not be considered during sentencing.
In addition, Chau stated that in this case, the aggravating factors included abuse of trust and moral corruption. The court also considered other charges, which included showing the minor pornography.
As per, Singapore Section 376A of the Penal code, minors of both genders are covered within this provision. A convict of sexual assault case usually faces a jail term up to 20 years and 20 strokes of the cane.
