Kota Kinabalu: A 46-year-old man was jailed 22 years and ordered caned 13 times by the Sessions Court here for raping his sister-in-law in Kota Marudu two years ago.
Judge Elsie Primus meted out the sentence after finding the man guilty at the end of his defence.
The man was convicted of committing the crime against the nine-year-old girl between 2pm and 5pm in April 2021 in the bushes of a banana farm in Kota Marudu.
He was charged under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of between 10 years and 30 years and whipping of not less than 10 strokes, on conviction.
SPONSORED CONTENT Shell’s Access to Energy helps power lives of isolated communities in Sabah Kota Kinabalu: In 2017, Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd (SSPC) launched Access to Energy (A2E), a Shell Social Investment programme aimed at providing affordable and continuous supply of electricity from renewable sources for communities who live without connection to the electricity grid. Read more The man was ordered to enter his defence on June 15.
The unrepresented man, who was under remand, was the sole witness in his defence.
Nine witnesses testified during the prosecution’s stage.
The court ordered the man to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest and also ordered him to be placed under police supervision after serving the sentence.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tham Pou Jin prosecuted.
Meanwhile, a 41-year-old man was charged with committing physical sexual harassment against a 10-year-old girl last year.
The man, who was the granduncle of the alleged victim, claimed trial to the charge before Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
The man was accused of committing the offence by fondling the girl’s breasts between noon and 5pm, between Dec 14 and Dec 21 last year, in the living room of a house in Papar.
He was charged under Section 14 (a) of the Sexual Offences against Children Act 2017 read with Section 16(1) of the same Act.
Section 14(a) of the Act carries a jail term of up to 20 years and liability of a fine on conviction, while Section 16(1) of the same Act, provides for a jail term of up to five years and whipping of not less than two strokes of the cane, if convicted.
The court set July 26 for case management and released the accused on a bail of RM6,000 on two sureties with a condition not to tamper with the prosecution’s witnesses.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Najihah Farhana Che Awang prosecuted while the accused was represented by counsel Muhamad Amirul.
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