Teenager convicted of sexually assaulting younger sister twice

SINGAPORE – After attending sex education courses at school in early 2020, a 14-year-old boy became curious about the issue and asked his younger sister if he could “touch” her.

The 13-year-old initially refused to let him go, but relented when he pestered her. Then he asked her to have sex act upon him and she complied.

He he was 16 when he did them to do a similar act on him in 2022.

The offender, now 19, pleaded guilty in 2024 to two counts of sexual penetration of the minor victim.

He cannot be named because of a gag order to protect the identity of his sister, who is now 17.

His sentencing was scheduled for January 9, but the case was adjourned to February 14.

Deputy Prosecutor Quek Lu Yi had urged the court to request a report assessing the offender’s suitability for reformative training, noting that probation was not a “realistic option” in this case.

Young offenders sent for reformatory training are held in a center to adhere to a strict regime that may include leg exercises and counselling.

DPP Quek added: “The present offenses involve serious sexual assault… The accused grossly abused the trust placed in him as the victim’s elder brother by committing reprehensible acts against the victim.

“The accused received sex education at school and was not so young that he could not appreciate the illegality of his actions.”

offender He first targeted his sister in their home between March 16 and 31, 2020.

He struck again in March 2022 after consuming alcohol because he was unhappy with his O-level results.

Then he saw the victim studying in the living room chamber of their house and asked the girl if she wanted to have sex with him.

He also asked her to perform a sexual act on him and she refused to do so at first. The girl gave in when he pestered her again.

DPP Quek said: “He felt helpless and did not know how to tell the accused that they should not have sex.”

The victim later he told a friend that the offender had harassed her.

It she eventually alerted the police on 22 March 2022, and her brother was charged in court in 2024.

The Straits Times reported in May 2024 that there were 190 cases of sexual assault involving victims under the age of 16 who were allegedly abused by family members and relatives from January to November 2022.

There were 247 such cases in 2021, up from 186 cases in 2020 and 153 cases in 2019.

Separately, a 2021 study of child sexual abuse cases at the emergency department of KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital found that girls under the age of 13 were more often abused by a family member and abused in their own homes, in compared to older girls.

Perpetrators were predominantly male at 96.6%, while 94.8% of victims were female.

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