SINGAPORE, July 21 -- A 77-year-old Singaporean insurance agent and business owner went on trial on Monday on 10 charges linked to the sexual abuse of his late secretary's daughter, whom he began grooming when she was just 14.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, faces charges of committing obscene acts and sexual penetration of a minor between the ages of 14 and 16.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years' jail and a fine for the penetration charges, and up to five years' jail and a fine of up to S$10,000 (about RM3,300) for each obscene act charge, The Straits Times reported.

According to the prosecution, the abuse began in 2012, after the man - then 64 - stepped in as a caregiver for the teenager and her sist...