This story is from our archives and highlights a sordid, secret aspect of adult human life that we rarely discuss. Read this story of incest in Singapore, a dark side of an otherwise light, bright, society.
We read about incest stories from all around the world and right here on our own shores, a father became the first person to be charged under the incest law in Singapore. That’s right: incest in Singapore is a reality.
At the time of the offence, the woman was only 20, and had sex with her 46-year-old father. The incident happened in a flat in the northeast, in 2008.
The father-daughter-duo had just returned from a coffeeshop drinking session at around 11pm in the night. As the night progressed, the home was silent and still with only the two of them. The man’s wife — a coffeeshop helper — was reportedly not at home.
The father lay on the bed while the daughter propped herself against the bed using her laptop to read emails, reports AsiaOne.
All of a sudden they began quarreling but eventually, the daughter ignored him as she was busy dealing with her emails. After a while, the daughter relented and apologised and was asked to give her daddy a big hug.
All this seems like the norm between father and daughter, right? Well, things got very weird after that…
The girl was scared she would get pregnant, but her father reassured her he did not ejaculate inside her.
Incest in Singapore: Squirm-worthy details
Things got way out of hand in the next scene. This father-daughter-duo started to caress each other in inappropriate places, which eventually led to sex. According to reports, the girl was scared she would get pregnant. But the father reportedly said he did not ejaculate inside her.
Before this incident, the two were known to have a close relationship anyway, where the daughter would always accompany her dad to the coffeeshop for drinks.
Exposed!
The unchaste relationship was eventually discovered when the daughter bickered with her dad over her studies and contacted a friend to call the police for her. Initially, she only complained that the dad was mistreating her but when the cops arrived, she revealed that the father had molested her that complaint led to the father’s arrest.
Eventually, the dad, who is a plumber, admitted to incest, pleaded guilty and was imprisoned.
His wife filed for a divorce and the victim, his daughter who is the eldest of four kids, moved out of her home.
During the trial, Deputy Public Prosecutor Leong Wing Tuck said that the girl shared the master bedroom with her parents, sleeping on a mattress next to the bed.
What are the laws related to incest in Singapore?
“Incest” in Singapore is defined as “having sex with one’s grandchild, child, sibling, half-sibling, parent or grandparent”. It is a crime, where the guilty party can be thrown into jail for up to five years.
Lawyer, Mr Kertar Singh, is quoted by AsiaOne as saying that even though “such sexual relations are socially and morally unacceptable,”, incest is “determined by virtue of the relationship”.
He explains: “Once it falls outside the relationship prescribed by law, it is not an offence. It may be morally wrong, but it may not be wrong in the law.”
But it also get a bit complicated. According to the law, the offence of incest can only be invoked if sexual penetration is involved. This means, “if a father and daughter fondle each other consensually, it may be morally wrong, but it is not legally prohibited,” Mr Singh elaborates.
Who is to be blamed in this case of incest in Singapore?
While the girl was 20 and therefore legally an adult when the incident happened, the bulk of the blame should be taken by the father explains psychiatrist Dr Brian Yeo. This is because between the duo, the father is the more mature one, and also the one in a position of power.
According to reports, Dr Yeo also describes the sleeping arrangement as odd. “Why is it that only one child out of four is sleeping with the parents? Why not have the daughters sleep together?” he asks.
He added: “She is sleeping in the same bedroom as her parents and therefore the ‘closeness’ could have already crossed the ‘line’.
“There’s a sense of closeness and bonding and they are physically close in the small bedroom – even with the mother present in the bedroom.”
Dr Yeo also explained that by sleeping in the master bedroom and therefore, being an obstacle in sexual activities between husband and wife, the girl may have somehow taken over the role of the mother.
“Obviously, (the parents) can’t get too intimate, and the girl got too close to the father. They probably quite easily crossed the line because of the opportunities that afforded,” he said.
“The father must still take the bulk of the responsibility. Being the father, if he commands his daughter to follow him, she may feel a sense of obligation, maybe even some fear that if she doesn’t, she could break up the family,” he concludes.
Mums and dads, like incest, sexual molestation of any kind needs to be taken very seriously. Believe your children if they hint at this. Watch out for red flags, which you can read about in this article. Let’s strive to make our society safer for us all, especially our children.
Reference: AsiaOne