Kota Kinabalu: A 59-year-old man was charged with raping his 16-year-old neighbour.
The man was brought before Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus to face the charge against him, Thursday.
However, no plea was recorded from the man after the charge was read to him pending the verification of the victim’s age.
He is accused of raping the girl, who did not have identification document, on April 1 this year between 9am and 3pm at a house in Penampang.
The offence under Section 376(2)(d) of the Penal Code carries a jail term of up to 20 years, and whipping, on conviction.
The court fixed May 25 for further mention and released the man on a bail of RM10,000 with RM5,000 deposited in two local sureties.
The man was also prohibited from entering his village in Penampang and must stay with his daughter in another village in a different district.
The court also ordered the man to report to the nearest police station once a month, and his passport, if any, to be impounded by the court.
The man or his family members were warned not to tamper with the prosecution’s witnesses.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mas Izzaty Lokman offered no bail as there was a high possibility of the man tampering with the prosecution’s witnesses, especially the alleged victim and her mother.
However, she said that if the court allowed bail, then she proposed RM10,000 and several strict conditions to be imposed.
The man, who was not represented, asked for a minimum bail saying that he has health problems and claimed that he did not live near the alleged victim.
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