Uncle used sex toys on 13-year-old niece, threatened to leak nude photos, gets 21 years' jail

A 38-year-old Singaporean man sexually abused his teenage niece for almost two years and later threatened to leak her explicit photos when she resisted his demands.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, was sentenced to 21 years' jail and 16 strokes of the cane on Monday (Aug 3).

He pleaded guilty to six charges, including statutory rape, sexual assault and threatening to distribute intimate images of the girl.

Prior to the victim turning 13, the pair interacted mainly during family gatherings on special occasions, reported The Straits Times (ST).

The man took his niece out for a birthday celebration in September 2022, after which the two began seeing each other more frequently. The girl began to visit her uncle's home after school often, where he would sometimes tutor her in Mandarin, according to ST.

On one occasion, the man molested her, but she did not react or object to it.

The two subsequently started seeing themselves as a couple from October 2022. They would exchange romantic messages daily while maintaining their distance in the presence of other family members.

The girl also sought permission from her parents to stay over at her uncle's place, where they engaged in sexual acts.

According to ST, the pair would have sex around four times a week. The man also used sex toys and bondage equipment on the girl.

At the time, the man was in a relationship with another woman, whom he later married in 2024, CNA reported.

In 2024, the girl began dating a schoolmate, referred to as A1 in court documents.

The man became jealous and repeatedly urged her to end the relationship. He even sought to "punish" her by performing sex acts on her, saying that she needed to pay for her mistakes.

The man also took explicit videos of his niece and received at least 30 nude videos from her.

On Aug 5, 2024, after the girl insisted on continuing her relationship with A1, the man threatened to upload the explicit photos and videos of her to pornographic websites.

Upset with her uncle's threats, the girl told her teacher about their intimate relationship the next day. 

A police report was lodged and the man was subsequently arrested on Aug 7.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com