The case of a man convicted of molesting his “godson” over seven years has shocked and saddened many. The offender, Esau John Chin, 64, was handed a sentence of four years and three months in jail, along with 13 strokes of the cane.
Due to his age, chin will serve an additional six months of jail time instead of caning, bringing his total imprisonment term to four years and nine months.
Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan made a strong statement during the sentencing about the severity of the abuse, stating, “There was exploitation of the victim’s vulnerability, ‘severe’ intrusion on the victim by the accused, and a ‘serious’ abuse of trust.”
The victim, now 34 years old, had looked up to Chin as a father figure after the passing of his father. The court noted that Chin’s actions were deeply manipulative, taking advantage of the trust placed in him by the victim.
The court heard that Chin’s sexual assaults on the victim occurred between 2002 and 2008 when the victim was aged between 11 and 18 years old. Chin, who visited Singapore annually from New Zealand, would stay with the victim’s family and share a bed with the victim during these visits.
It was revealed that Chin would molest the victim while he was asleep and perform sexual acts on him.
The victim, unsure of the nature of the acts due to his young age, looked up to Chin as a father figure and did not initially realize the gravity of the situation. The abuse only came to an end in 2009 when the victim mentioned having a girlfriend to the accused.
Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Chin denied touching the victim’s genitals, although he did admit to showering naked with him.
Chin’s decision to appeal against his sentence prolongs the victim’s suffering and exemplifies the resilience required for survivors to seek closure and justice.
