SINGAPORE: A teenager who sexually assaulted his younger sister twice was sentenced to at least a year in reformative training on Tuesday (Mar 4).
The teen, now 19, cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim. He previously pleaded guilty to two charges of sex with a minor.
In March 2020, the then 14-year-old sexually assaulted his sister in his room.
She said no when he asked if he could touch her, but the then 13-year-old gave in after he repeatedly pleaded with her and said it would only take a short while.
He touched the victim and asked her to perform a sex act on him, which she did.
At the time, he had just attended sex education classes in school, and was interested in and curious about sex.
In March 2022, the teen, then 16, was upset after getting his O-Level posting results. He drank alcohol and felt drowsy.
At home, he asked his sister, who was turning 15 that year, to have sex with him. She initially refused to perform a sex act on him, but did so when he kept insisting.
The girl confided in a friend that her brother was harassing her. She felt helpless and did not know how to tell her brother that they should not be engaging in sexual activity.
Her friend brought her to make a police report on Mar 22, 2022.
Before these offences, the teen had previously been scolded by his parents for touching his other sister inappropriately.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Lu Yi sought reformative training for a year, as recommended by a prisons psychologist who assessed the teen.
Defence lawyer Ashvin Hariharan asked for six months in reformative training, arguing that his client’s conduct and insight into his offences had improved since his arrest.
Reformative training takes a rehabilitative approach towards young offenders. Trainees are detained in the Reformative Training Centre and required to complete rehabilitation and family programmes.
Explaining why a year in reformative training was deemed needed for the teen, the prisons officer said he needed help with his maladaptive strategy of using pornography to cope with stress.
While the teen had reduced his pornography use by occupying himself with volunteering and leisure activities or through family monitoring, these were distraction techniques, she said.
The teen needed psychological treatment to build up his internal capabilities, she added.
Secondly, the teen needed intervention for his attitude towards sex, as he lacked insight into the impact of his actions on the victim.
Thirdly, the teen showed sexual preoccupation. His second offence was triggered by a pornography advertisement he saw, which led to him ruminating overnight and sexually assaulting his sister the next day, said the psychologist.
Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh rejected the defence’s position that the level of deterrence did not need to be so high.
In sentencing, the judge told the teen: “What you did to your sister is very serious, and I hope you realise that.”
The penalty for sexual penetration of a minor under 16 is up to 10 years in jail, a fine, or both. If the minor was under 14, the maximum jail term is doubled to 20 years.
