The mother of his step-niece treated him like her own brother.
He repaid her kindness by trying to rape her four-year-old daughter in the living room of their home in February 2012 while her mother was just metres away in the kitchen.
The man, now 22, pleaded guilty in court yesterday to one count of attempted rape.
Another charge for the attempted rape of his then 13-year-old girlfriend committed that month will be taken into consideration during sentencing.
The man, who has worked as a mover and a hospital porter, cannot be named to protect his victims’ identities.
He is represented by lawyer Daniel Soo.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kavita Uthrapathy said the man’s mother married the little girl’s maternal grandfather in July 2011 and they lived in a two-room flat in the west.
After his mother died five months later, his stepfather allowed the man and his brother to continue living with him as he considered them as his own sons.
The step-niece moved in with them in January 2012 with her mother, a single parent who was then unemployed.
The woman treated him like her own brother, the court heard.
But he abused her trust a month later while watching television with the girl in the living room.
Her mother was in the kitchen with a friend and could not see them.
He was lying on a mattress when the girl playfully climbed on top of him.
He was shirtless and wore a pair of shorts.
When he became sexually aroused, he pulled down her shorts and panties and tried to rape her without success, DPP Kavita said.
The girl did not scream, cry, or make any noise.
‘UNCLE DISTURB’
But once he was done, she got dressed and ran to her mother crying, and said: “Uncle disturb.”
DPP Kavita said: “(Her mother) assumed the accused had merely been playing with the victim, and told her that if she wanted to play with him, then she should not cry.”
Days later, the girl complained to her mother about pain around her private parts, and also when urinating.
Thinking she could have hurt herself while playing, the mother did not seek medical attention for her.
But when she continued to complain about the pain, the mother took her to Clementi Polyclinic on March 1.
After examining the girl, Dr Seet Lin Tze referred her to the Children’s Emergency Department at the National University Hospital for further evaluation and management.
A police report was made later that day and the police arrested the man in the flat the next day.
He later admitted to the sexual assault.
Dr Lim Choon Guan from the Institute of Mental Health later examined him and found that he has an IQ of 61, which is in the mild mental retardation range.
DPP Kavita said: “However, the accused was not of unsound mind and was assessed to have been aware of the wrongfulness of his act.
“Police investigations revealed that following the offence, the victim had difficulty sleeping and would wake up crying from her sleep.
“She also disliked hearing the accused’s name and described him as ‘bad’ as he had caused her pain.”
Yesterday, DPP Kavita asked Judicial Commissioner Hoo Sheau Peng for a six-week adjournment so Dr Lim could further assess the man for paedophilic tendencies and determine whether he could potentially commit the offence again.
For attempted rape, he could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned.
ashaffiq@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on June 8, 2016.
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