A 37-YEAR-OLD IT specialist was packed off to jail for 25 years after he was convicted in the High Court on Thursday for repeated sexual abuses on his teenage stepdaughter.

The man, an Indian national and Singapore permanent resident, was also ordered to be caned the maximum 24 strokes.

He was convicted on all 42 charges brought against him - 16 counts of statutory rape and 26 counts of making the girl, now 14, perform oral sex on him.

The offences, which started when she was 11, took place between Jan 2005 and Feb last year at the family flat.

The man had confessed to the police and a psychiatrist after his arrest but in court, he denied committing the crimes.

He claimed he had given 'false statements' to the police out of fear.

In their closing arguments, prosecutors dismissed the multitude of reasons he gave in attempting to explain away the confessions.

Both the girl and the mother left the country abruptly and the Singapore police have been unable to find them.