Kota Kinabalu: A 57-year-old Malaysian Volunteer Corps (Rela) member pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court here to raping his teenage stepdaughter.
The accused entered the plea before Sessions Court Judge Zaini Fishir after being charged with raping the 15-year-old girl at a house in Sipitang on Sept 23 this year.
The charge under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, while an additional charge under Section 16 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 provides for up to five years' imprisonment and at least two strokes of the cane upon conviction.
Judge Zaini deferred sentencing and the reading of the facts of the case to Nov 2, following an application by Deputy Public Prosecutor Fazriel Fardiansyah Abdul Kadir to allow the prosecution time to prepare the necessary documentation.
The unrepresented accused was ordered to be remanded further after the prosecution objected to bail over concerns that he posed a high risk of tampering with prosecution witnesses.
