In a shocking case that came to light in 2022, a then-14-year-old Singapore teenager who attempted to rape his then-8-year-old younger sister in 2020, was sentenced on Monday (24 July) to undergo reformative training for at least a year, according to The Straits Times.
The boy, who is now 17, will be detained in a center where he will be made to undergo a regiment which includes counselling.
A informative training order is a comparatively more severe punishment than probation for young offenders, with the primary goal being the rehabilitation of the offender and preventing them from reoffending.
The Offender’s Guilty Plea
In May, the teenager pleaded guilty to one count each of attempted rape and attempted penetration. Due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity, he cannot be named publicly.
The offenses took place in the flat where the siblings lived with their parents, older brother, and paternal grandmother; where the boy attacked his sister on two occasions.
The Incidents
In June 2020, the then-14-year-old attempted to rape his younger sister in her bedroom, where she did not resist, and he also took explicit photos of her after the incident.
He then told a friend about 2 months later about the explicit photos that he had taken (which had been deleted), and that he wanted to have intercourse with his younger sister.
Then sometime between 5 February and 27 July in 2022, the boy once again tried to rape his sister, who was then between 9 to 10 years old, but failed.
Their mother also walked in on them on one occasion and he lied to her about helping to check the victim’s private parts because she was in pain, and the mother believed him but told him not to do it again.
The offender’s crimes remained hidden until 2022 when his friend, to whom he had confessed his intentions and actions two years earlier, informed their school teachers about it.
The school principal then met with the teenager and his parents, and the boy’s father then lodged a police report the next month.
The Court’s Decision for Reformative Training
The court, after considering the severity of the offenses and the offender’s need for rehabilitation, decided to impose reformative training.
This form of detention aims to provide the young offender with a structured environment for reform and counseling, with the ultimate goal of transforming their behavior and ensuring they do not reoffend in the future.