KOTA KINABALU: A 45-year-old deaf father was sentenced to a total of 10 years’ jail and three strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court after pleading guilty to physically sexually harassing his 11-year-old daughter.
Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain imposed seven years’ imprisonment and two strokes of the cane for an offence committed at a house in Manggatal in mid-October 2025.
The court further sentenced the accused to an additional three years’ jail and one stroke of the cane due to his relationship with the victim, and ordered all sentences to run consecutively.
The offences were charged under Sections 14(a) and 16(2)(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which respectively carry imprisonment of up to 20 years with whipping and up to five years’ jail with whipping upon conviction.
In mitigation, the unrepresented accused sought leniency on grounds of his disability and responsibility for the child, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Fazriel Fardiansyah Abdul Kadir urged a deterrent sentence, submitting that the offence was reported, leading to police action and the accused’s arrest.