SINGAPORE, Aug 6 — A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years and nine months in jail, along with 12 strokes of the cane, after pleading guilty to raping a deaf and mute 13-year-old girl who was a family friend.
He also admitted to going absent without leave from his national service duties with Singapore’s Civil Defence Force for more than a year.
Two molestation charges were taken into consideration during sentencing. A gag order bars the identification of both the man and his victim, The Straits Times reported.
The offence took place in November 2024 at the man’s rental flat, where the girl — known to the family through his wife — had been asked to stay overnight while her mother attended an event.
The next morning, while his pregnant wife was out running errands, the man assaulted the girl despite her repeated refusals. She attempted to message his wife for help during the incident.
The assault came to light after relatives noticed a mark on the girl’s body later that night; she used her phone to identify the man responsible, and police were called in.
Prosecutors described the case as a serious breach of trust involving a vulnerable victim. The man faced a maximum of 20 years’ jail for rape under Singapore law.