Boys called him 'Daddy': Religious influencer jailed for sexually abusing brothers aged 6 and 11

A "religious influencer" who became a father figure to two vulnerable brothers before sexually abusing them between 2022 and 2024 has been sentenced to 27 years and 10 months' jail and 24 strokes of the cane.

The 37-year-old man pleaded guilty on Monday (Aug 17) to three charges of rape and two counts of molestation, according to court documents obtained by AsiaOne. Another 12 charges were also taken into consideration during sentencing.

The man repeatedly sexually assaulted the victims at various locations, including a toilet in a mosque where he often prayed with them and taught them religion.

In a statement on Monday, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said it strongly condemns the serious sexual offences involving youth victims at mosque premises. 

"Our mosques must always be safe and trusted spaces, especially for our children and young people," said Muis, adding that the man was not a mosque staff member or volunteer, nor was he an accredited asatizah. 

An asatizah is an Islamic religious teacher or scholar. 

Muis added that members of the public can verify an asatizah's accreditation through the online directory on the Muis website.

"Individuals who appear or present themselves as religious should not automatically be regarded as qualified religious teachers," Muis added.

"The safety of our mosque visitors is paramount. In light of this case, we will strengthen existing security measures, including patrols and CCTV monitoring, to keep our mosques safe for all," said Muis.

"Muis will continue to strengthen our safeguards, both within our mosques and in the online space, and work with the community to ensure that our young are safe and supported." 

Father figure to boys

The man, who cannot be named due to gag orders to protect the victims' identities, assaulted the boys when they were aged between six and eight, and 11 and 12, respectively.

The brothers had been living with their grandmother after their parents divorced in 2016. Their father had abandoned the family, while their mother was admitted to a Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) between October 2021 and October 2023. 

In sentencing submissions, prosecutors said the offender entered the boys' lives at a time when there was a "vacuum" in their lives.

In April 2022, the older brother recognised the offender at an unnamed mosque from his TikTok account. 

After introducing himself to the offender, the two grew close and spent time together through activities such as playing football.

The boy also confided in the older man about his family circumstances, including his mother's admission to the DRC and his father's abandonment.

He later told his grandmother about the offender, and she invited him to her home to assess him in person. She found him to be "very religious" and began to trust him, after learning that he was a childhood friend of her two sons.

Over time, the offender became increasingly involved in the brothers' lives. He regularly sent them to school, fetched them home, brought them to the mosque and guided them in religion.

He eventually told the boys' grandmother that he wanted to be a father figure and religious guide to them.

Their grandmother trusted him after observing his close relationship with the boys and seeing how eager they were to learn about religion from him. She also informed the boys' mother, who did not object as the boys were under their grandmother's care.

The boys eventually began calling the offender "Daddy", while he referred to them as his "sons".

"The boys' trust in him was total, and he abused every inch of it," prosecutors said in sentencing submissions.

With their grandmother's permission, the boys began sleeping over at the offender's home, and he would bring them to the mosque for prayers the following morning. 

Raped in mosque

Between 2022 and 2023, the man began raping the younger brother who was six to eight years old at the time.

Court documents stated that he developed sexual urges towards the boy after accompanying him to a mosque toilet because the child was afraid to go alone.

A few days later, the man brought the boy to his home and raped him. 

He then told the boy that they were "just having fun" and warned him not to tell anyone, saying that doing so meant he "did not love Daddy" and that "Daddy" would go to jail.

Afraid that the man would scold him, the boy agreed to keep the incident a secret.

The prosecution said the offender raped the younger boy at least 10 times between 2022 and 2023.

He would use the codename "secret" to refer to the sexual acts and to impress upon the child that he should not disclose them to anyone.

Before the first rape, the offender had promised the boy a toy gun as a "prize". He later gave the child gifts such as toy guns, toy helicopters and toy pistols as rewards after the assaults. He also told the boy that the sexual acts were a form of "punishment" for being "naughty".

Around that time, the brothers also began attending religious classes at a mosque after school and on weekends, which were conducted by the man.

On the first day of their class, the man asked the brothers to stay behind after class and told the younger boy he had something to tell him before bringing him to the toilet and instructing him to remove his clothes.

He then raped the boy in the mosque toilet. Court documents stated that he later admitted he felt "excited" by the prospect of committing the act in a public place.

The man went on to rape the younger boy at the mosque on several more occasions, court documents stated.

In early 2024, the man met the older brother at the boy's grandmother's home and asked to speak with him privately.

They went to a staircase landing nearby, where the man touched the boy's groin area over his clothes and suggested that his erection meant he liked what was happening.

The man subsequently sent messages to the older brother asking him to keep the incident a secret and allegedly threatened to reveal what he knew about the boy to his family if the boy continued to deny that he liked the contact. 

Discovery of offences 

The offences subsequently came to light around April 13, 2024, when the brothers were visiting relatives with their mother for Hari Raya. 

During the visit, the younger brother asked his mother whether it was appropriate for one person's private parts to come into contact with another person's.

Alarmed, she questioned him further.

The younger boy then disclosed that the offender had sexually assaulted him. The older brother also revealed that the man had touched him on separate occasions.

Their mother's godbrother then confronted the man over the phone, who denied the allegations but agreed to meet in person. 

The man initially claimed that he could not have sexually assaulted the boys because he suffered from erectile dysfunction, but later admitted to his actions, according to court documents.

Court documents also showed that he had been diagnosed with a paedophilic disorder in 2024. However, this condition was not found to have contributed to his offences.

He claimed that he had committed the acts while under the control of a "djinn" — a supernatural spirit based on Islamic theology.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Selvarajan Balamurugan said his client accepted that his actions were "vile and degrading" and argued that his guilty plea had spared the victims the ordeal of testifying in court. He added that the offender wished to apologise to the victims and their families and sought forgiveness for his actions.

Court documents showed the abuse had a lasting impact on both boys. 

The younger brother developed self-hatred, suicidal thoughts and engaged in self-harm, while the older brother also suffered suicidal ideation. 

The abuse also drove a wedge between the siblings, with the younger boy blaming his brother for bringing the offender into their lives, while the older boy blamed himself for what happened.

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