Singapore  - A Singaporean man was jailed for 16 years and to be beat with 18 strokes of the rattan cane for raping his mildly retarded 11-year old daughter, the Straits Times reported Tuesday.

The 40-year old father, who is also mildly retarded, sobbed as he pleaded guilty to the December 2006 rape following months of denial.

The case came to light last April after his two other daughters reported having been molested by their uncle, their late mother's bother, who faces a separate charge next month.

Though pleading for leniency, the man told court that he had returned home drunk from a nightclub, mistook the girl for a hostess and invited her to his bedroom.

The report said the man repeatedly broke down during the hearing and said he would like to return home to his five children, aged between 10 and 20, including two boys.

The man is not being named to protect the girl's identity.

The sentence for raping a girl below 14 years of age is between eight years and 20 years, and 14 to 24 strokes of the cane. (dpa)