LAHAD DATU: A 61-year-old was jailed 15 years and ordered given 10 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court, here, for raping his 12-year-old daughter, last year.
Judge Suhaila Selag imposed the sentence on the former factory worker after he pleaded guilty to committing the offence about 11pm in February 2025 at their house in Kunak.
The accused was charged under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of between eight and 30 years, as well as at least 10 strokes of the cane on conviction.
The court also ordered the accused to undergo counselling under Section 26 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 throughout his period of imprisonment.
The accused was also ordered to remain under police supervision for two years after completing his prison sentence, in accordance with Section 27 of the same Act.
The court was told that on February 7, 2025, the victim told her mother that she had been raped by her father.
The victim who live with her father after the divorce was raped at about 11pm on February 2025 at their living room after her other siblings went to sleep.
The victim was later sent to live with her mother and told her mother about the incident.
During the trial, the accused who was unrepresented appealed to the court for a lenient sentence, citing his guilty plea and admission of the offence.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Shearil Aizad Murnizam urged the court to impose a severe sentence, taking into account that the accused had committed the offence against his own daughter.
He said that, as a father, the accused should have been his child’s protector from any threats or harm, but had instead committed the offence against the victim.
