One of the four brothers who sexually abused his sister has to go to the reformatory

SINGAPORE – One of four brothers who sexually abused their sister as teenagers was sentenced to a reformatory for at least 12 months by the High Court on June 26.

The reformatory is a program in which juvenile offenders are held in a center for at least six months and participate in rehabilitation programs.

The perpetrator, who was 16 or 17 years old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault through penetration in February.

Seven other charges were taken into account in the sentencing, including one count of aggravated sexual assault by penetration and six counts of violation of modesty.

The perpetrator, now 20 years old, is the third oldest of the brothers and the third to be convicted.

The elder, who pleaded guilty to eight counts of aggravated sexual assault by penetration and was between 18 and 21 years old at the time of the crime, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 24 lashes on May 20.

A day later, the second brother was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 24 strokes after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated rape. He was between 16 and 20 years old when he committed these crimes.

When sentencing the third brother, Judge Hoo Sheau Peng said that he was not a hardened and recalcitrant offender and that rehabilitation was the most important criterion in determining the sentence.

The prosecution had demanded eight to nine years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane, while defence lawyer Ashvin Hariharan urged the court to follow the recommendations of a report which found that his client was suitable for reformatory treatment.

Judge Hoo agreed with the prosecution that the victim, now aged 14 and undergoing trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, has suffered significant harm.

However, she said that the harm was not only caused by the third brother’s offence, but also by that of the three other brothers. She noted that the prosecution did not dispute that the criminal conduct of the third eldest brother was the least egregious of the four brothers.

According to court documents, he touched and sexually assaulted the victim at least four times in 2020, even though she tried to resist his advances.

When he began abusing his sister, his three brothers had already sexually abused her at least once before.

He knew that his two older brothers were sexually abusing the victim, but decided to “remain silent.”