SINGAPORE – A 53-year-old man who sexually assaulted his girlfriend's daughter, who was then 10 to 11 years old, was sentenced to 24 years' jail on Feb 20.The girl's mother was in court with other family members and broke down in tears on hearing his sentence.He cannot be named under a gag order imposed to protect the victim's identity.The sexual acts, which were committed between February 2021 and February 2022, took place at home and in a van parked at cemeteries.The girl told her mother about the abuse in December 2021, but the woman chose to believe the man when he denied that he had assaulted the girl.In sentencing, Justice Aidan Xu considered the harm caused to a very young victim and that the man had taken advantage of his relationship with the girl's mother.However, the judge added that it was not necessary to impose additional jail time in lieu of caning.The man cannot be caned as he is more than 50 years old.Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Jia En had sought 22 to 24 years' jail, and 12 months' jail in lieu of the maximum 24 strokes of the cane. Read more