Man who raped daughter after being encouraged by girlfriend gets 24 years' jail

A man who raped his 11-year-old daughter after being goaded by his girlfriend was sentenced to 24 years’ jail on Monday (Oct 27).

His lover, 33-year-old Filipino domestic helper Albao Shiela Marie Ibales, was given 22 years’ jail.

The victim’s parents have been separated since 2019. She lived with her mother and relatives on weekdays, and stayed with her father on weekends.

The court heard that the 54-year-old man, who is American and cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, met Albao through dating application Tinder in 2022, and developed a sexual relationship.

They often exchanged “sexually charged and deviant messages” such as  indecent acts with their future child as well as a pet dog.

On March 17, 2023, while his daughter was staying with him, the man and Albao exchanged sexualised messages about the girl.

Albao then said she wanted a photo of the victim performing a sex act on the man.

The father then came up with an idea of a “bet” which involved his daughter doing a series of acts to get a reward.

The man filmed the sex acts and sent to Albao, who congratulated the girl for winning $400.

After Albao egged the man on, he raped the victim while she was sleeping.

In May that year, the girl told her teacher about the abuse, and the latter lodged a police report.

The man was arrested on May 5, 2023 and Albao was nabbed a day later.

Police officers found 20 videos and 43 photos from Albao’s phone of the man sexually abusing his daughter.

The man, who initially denied performing sex acts on the girl, had deleted the evidence from his phone.

When confronted with the videos and photos, he claimed that he was unable to recall doing any of the acts, and gave reasons such as undiagnosed Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, a head injury and alcoholic blackout.

A psychiatric evaluation found otherwise, the court heard.

The man pleaded guilty to three charges of statutory rape and one count of perverting justice. Twelve other charges were taken into consideration.

As for Albao, she admitted to three charges of abetting rape, with another 12 charges taken into consideration.

Justice Aidan Xu told the man that he “greatly abused” his position as the victim’s father and “destroyed” her innocence and childhood.

“You deceived her in a diabolical scheme. You exposed her to pregnancy, with the possibility of all the damage that would entail, as well as to the risks of disease,” he said, according to CNA.

The judge also said that while Albao did not do the acts, she “prodded or encouraged” the man.

“Your perversion, and selfish disregard for the effect on the victim must attract a heavy and punitive response," he told her.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com