SINGAPORE – The man who sexually abused a teenage girl whom he wanted to adopt had no criminal record and adverse history, and professionals did not detect any abuse during regular check-ins with the offender, his wife and the victim.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Dec 4 said the couple were volunteers at the therapeutic group home where the girl was residing.

The teenager, who was under the care of MSF, had moved in with the home after her father subjected her to sexual abuse by touching her inappropriately in January 2018.

The girl, who was 16 when she moved in with the couple, was in the process of being adopted when she was sexually assaulted by the man who wanted to take her in.

The 39-year-old man was on Nov 28 sentenced to 10 years’ jail and nine strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to four counts of exploitative sexual penetration of a minor who is 16 or 17.

Another nine charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

MSF said there were phased contacts between the couple and the victim before she started living with them in their home.

She met them during supervised visitations at the therapeutic group home, as well as at outings, before it progressed to home leave and full-time care.

“From December 2019 to early April 2020 before (the Covid-19) circuit breaker, she was on home leave with the couple that started from a day to a few days a week,” the ministry said.

“Her home leave was suspended during the circuit breaker from April to May 2020 and resumed gradually from June 2020. From Sept 15, 2020, she stayed with the couple daily.”

Between September and mid-November 2020, the man subjected her to multiple forms of sexual penetration, including sodomy. The acts took place almost daily.

MSF said that despite weekly check-ins with professionals to monitor the girl’s well-being, safety and progress, as well as the couple’s regular sessions with professionals to assess their ability to care for her, no sexual abuse concerns were detected.

The professionals included psychologists and case workers from the therapeutic group home, a psychiatrist and a psychologist from the Institute of Mental Health, and a child protection officer.

MSF said child abuse is often hard to detect, particularly when a caregiver actively hides it.

The ministry added: “This case highlights how detection can be difficult even with close and constant support provided by professionals.

“It also shows the critical role of having trusted individuals in one’s life. In this case, if not for the teacher the young person trusted and confided in, the abuse might have remained hidden for much longer.”

The man who abused her was a manager at a youth leadership development firm at the time and the father of two young boys. He cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity.

The girl was 13 in June 2017 when her mother killed herself in front of her. As a result, she suffered from adjustment disorder with depressed mood.

In January 2018, her father subjected her to sexual abuse by touching her inappropriately. She was removed from her father’s care in March 2018 and MSF placed her in the care of a family friend.

In June 2018, one of her close friends committed suicide and the girl later engaged in self-harm by repeatedly using a blade to cut her limbs.

Assessed to be a suicide risk, she was placed in a centre designed to help girls who suffered trauma or abuse to reintegrate into society.

The company that the offender was working in was running a camp for girls in June 2019. This was where he met the victim, who was a camp participant.

During the camp, she told the offender that she was hoping for foster care or adoption, as she could not return to her biological family.

The man’s wife agreed with his decision to adopt the girl. His family was later assessed by MSF to be suitable caregivers.

In September 2020, she was at the man’s home when he suggested they take part in an activity. He told her to stand topless before a mirror and describe what she saw while he stood blindfolded nearby.

She did not know what the activity was for, but assumed it might be some form of therapy for her.

Soon after, he started to rub her chest, claiming it would help her body release some “love chemicals”.

This happened on multiple occasions, and she allowed him to do so as she trusted the man and felt close to him.

Between September and November 2020, he also sexually penetrated her, made her perform sex acts on him and would sometimes use his mobile phone to take photographs and videos of the acts.

The court heard that the girl felt guilty after the sexual acts and started harming herself again. She also felt that she was “trash and worthless”.

She told a teacher about her ordeal, who then alerted the police.

MSF said in its reply that all volunteers in MSF-funded programmes involving contact with clients undergo background reference checks and suitability assessments by social service agencies.

“No risk factors emerged during the assessment of the couple’s suitability as kith caregivers for the girl. Trained professionals assessed them as caring and capable of supporting her needs,” the ministry added.

Kith caregivers are non-familial adults known to the child through family or community connections, and they are not registered as foster parents. 

MSF said the girl did not disclose the abuse to professionals supporting her until she told her school teacher in November 2020.

MSF added: “Although the young person had some signs of self-harm, that would not have indicated that she was being sexually abused, as due to her past trauma history, she had ongoing self-harm behaviour before she was under the care of the couple.”

The teen is now staying with her relatives and receiving support from a family service centre social worker and a hospital psychologist.