Man jailed after molesting stepdaughter for 5 years

A man who molested his stepdaughter for five years has been sentenced to five years and six months behind bars, according to prosecutors of Jinshan District.

The man, not named, started to molest the girl, identified as Xiaoli, when she was 9 years old. 

Over the five years, the girl mentioned it to her mother who thought she was just making it up. Her mother placed priority in protecting her second marriage, prosecutors claimed.

Living in overwhelming stress, Xiaoli could stand it no longer and reported her situation to prosecutors in March last year. Prosecutors joined hands with police to launch an investigation.

The court refused to reveal further details so as to protect Xiaoli's identity.

After the man was sent to prison, Xiaoli’s mother blamed the girl for ruining her second marriage and they often quarreled. She was not qualified to take care of the girl any longer, prosecutors said.

Once he learned what had happened, Xiaoli’s biological father filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife, demanding full custody of the girl.

That case ended in an out-of-court settlement. Xiaoli now lives with her biological father.