KENINGAU: A 62-year-old man was charged with raping his 10-year-old granddaughter.
The man pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Ahmad Fairuz Mohd Fuzi, to the charge against him.
The man is accused of raping the minor at 1.15am on March 2 this year at a house in a village, here.
The offence under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code carries a jail term of between 10 and 30 years, and whipping at least 10 strokes of the cane, on conviction.
The court set March 20 this year for mention and no bail was offered to the man pending the date.
The court also advised the man to engage a counsel to represent him for the next mention of his case.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588), which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000, one-year imprisonment, or both upon conviction.
Speaking to the media outside the courtroom, Hasshahari Johari said the court had scheduled the verdict for all four charges against his client at 10 am this Friday.
“This marks the first stage of the proceedings. If the court finds that there is no prima facie case, a decision will be rendered accordingly on that day,” he said.
