A 22-year-old man in Singapore was found guilty of sexually assaulting his underage cousin at his home, telling her that the acts were “good for her.” According to court documents, the girl was between eight and ten years old when the incidents took place between 2016 and 2018, and the man is four years older than her.
The offences occurred in the man’s four-storey home, where the girl, now 18, was cared for daily by her grandmother and aunt. He would often take her to a third-floor master bedroom under the pretext of doing homework. Once inside, he would carry or drag her to the bed, lock the door, and draw the curtains before assaulting her while she was covered by a blanket up to her neck. He would only stop on his own, at dinnertime, or when a helper knocked on the door.
The court heard that the girl had “felt uncomfortable” but did not question what was happening, as he told her the acts “were good for her” and instructed her not to tell anyone. She initially did not realise the assaults were wrong and only came to understand that she had been raped between Primary Six and Secondary One after reading a news article about a rape case. She conducted online research and confirmed the abuse, but only told her mother in detail in September 2020, fearing it would “ruin the relationship” between her family and her cousin’s family.
Her grandmother reportedly accused her of lying when she initially spoke up, even telling her to claim she was lying during a family meeting. A police report was eventually lodged on Jan 3, 2021.
The Man’s Denial and Conviction
The man did not plead guilty to the three charges against him and claimed he never had the opportunity to be alone with her due to a strict schedule of tuition and co-curricular activities. He also claimed the bedroom door was faulty and could not be locked. He gave contradictory accounts to the police, initially claiming he was not close to the girl when growing up, then stating they were “physically very close” and “played a lot of stuff together.”
In her judgment, Justice Thean said she found his testimony “not credible” and pointed to his extreme reaction during a 2018 family confrontation, when he offered to “jump down a building” to prove his innocence, as “extraordinary.” She also said the girl’s evidence was “unusually convincing” and considered her mental development and family context in the ruling. He was acquitted on one charge due to insufficient details but convicted of the other two offences. Sentencing has been reserved.
