KOTA KINABALU: An 18-year-old youth who admitted to raping a minor was ordered by the Sessions Court here to be sent to the Henry Gurney School for three years or until he reaches the age of 21, whichever comes earlier.
Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan made the order after the youth, who was 17 years and eight months old at the time of the offence, maintained his guilty plea and a social report prepared by the Welfare Department was submitted.
The youth admitted to raping a 12-year and 10-month-old girl at about 1.30am in April 2025 in a room at Laya-Laya, Tuaran.
The court also ordered that upon release from the correctional school, the youth be placed under police supervision for three years under Section 27 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
In arriving at the sentence, the court considered mitigation by the youth through his mother, the prosecution’s request for a deterrent punishment, and the social report, while rejecting the Welfare Officer’s recommendation for community service on the grounds that the youth and victim knew each other and that separation was necessary to prevent a recurrence and safeguard the victim’s emotional well-being.
