SINGAPORE — A 71-year-old man has been sentenced to a global 21 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to 10 sexual offences committed against children over several decades, including his daughter, granddaughters, niece and students at an enrichment centre he operated.
The accused, identified as DEK, faced 33 charges involving 11 victims. The remaining 23 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
The proceeded charges included sexual assault involving penetration, sexual exploitation of children, carnal intercourse, rape, and outrage of modesty.
Justice Mavis Chionh imposed the global sentence in the General Division of the High Court on July 24, after the accused pleaded guilty to the 10 proceeded charges and admitted the Statement of Facts without qualification.
The offences spanned from 1995 to 2023.
Among the most serious offences were the sexual assault and exploitation of his seven-year-old granddaughter in 2023, carnal intercourse with his daughter when she was aged nine to 10, rape of the same daughter when she was 15, and carnal intercourse with his niece when she was aged 11 to 12.
The accused also sexually abused children who attended an enrichment centre operated by him and his wife.
One granddaughter disclosed the abuse in August 2023 after her younger sister told their mother that the accused had touched her private parts.
The disclosure led to a police report and the accused’s arrest.
The court also considered the accused’s previous convictions for sexual offences.
In 1999, he was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment and three strokes of the cane for outrage of modesty involving a seven-year-old girl whom he was tutoring.
In 2020, he was sentenced to a global 26 months’ imprisonment and four strokes of the cane for offences involving three sisters aged between five and seven who were students at the enrichment centre.
He was released from prison on September 18, 2021 and reoffended in 2022 and 2023.
A significant issue was whether the accused’s age and terminal illness should affect the sentence.
The accused was diagnosed with myelofibrosis in 2021. Medical evidence confirmed that the condition was a terminal disease, although there was no clear evidence that it had progressed to acute myeloid leukaemia.
The Defence initially sought judicial mercy and proposed a global sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, arguing that the accused’s advanced age and severe ill health meant imprisonment would cause substantially greater hardship.
The Defence later accepted that there were strong public-interest considerations against exercising judicial mercy.
The Prosecution argued for a global sentence of 32 to 36 years, citing the seriousness and prolonged nature of the offending, the number of victims, the accused’s previous convictions and his reoffending shortly after release from prison.
The Prosecution also relied on the need for retribution, deterrence and public protection, noting medical evidence that the accused had paedophilic disorder and was considered a danger to children.
Justice Chionh considered the principles governing judicial mercy, including the need for exceptional humanitarian circumstances to outweigh the public interest in punishment.
The court also considered the totality principle, including whether the overall sentence would become crushing in light of the accused’s age.
The court declined to exercise judicial mercy.
Justice Chionh found that the seriousness and circumstances of the offending, the multiple victims, the accused’s previous convictions and his reoffending after imprisonment gave rise to strong public-interest considerations in favour of punishment.
The court then considered the appropriate sentences for the 10 proceeded charges and the effect of the totality principle.
The accused’s terminal illness and advanced age were considered in determining the final global sentence.
The court ultimately imposed a global sentence of 21 years’ imprisonment.
No additional imprisonment term was imposed in lieu of the caning which the accused avoided because of his age.
Jiang Ke-Yue and Ronnie Ang of the Attorney-General’s Chambers appeared for the Prosecution. Nakoorsha Abdul Kadir and Dwi Heryanni Mohammad of Nakoorsha Law Corporation appeared for the Accused.
This is an unofficial case summary prepared by LexBru for informational and educational purposes only. It has not been reviewed, approved or endorsed by the Singapore Courts. Please refer to the full judgment https://www.elitigation.sg/gd/s/2026_SGHC_188 published on the Singapore Courts website for the Court’s
full grounds of decision.