A Johor security guard was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to raping a woman with multiple disabilities.
JOHOR BAHRU: A Sessions Court today sentenced a security guard to 10 years in prison and five strokes of the cane for raping a disabled woman. Judge Madihah Zainol also ordered R. Sivanesan, 39, to undergo counselling during his imprisonment and to be placed under police supervision after his release.
The accused pleaded guilty to raping a 29-year-old woman with hearing, speech and learning disabilities in Skudai on January 30. The charge was framed under Section 376(2)(K) of the Penal Code, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 30 years, plus caning.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Fadilah Johanuddin argued for a proportionate sentence, stating the accused had taken advantage of a vulnerable victim. She also noted the defence’s disclosure that Sivanesan is HIV-positive, which placed the victim at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
In mitigation, defence lawyer Omar Kutty Abdul Aziz appealed for leniency. He cited his client’s HIV and leukaemia diagnoses, which require ongoing treatment, and noted this was Sivanesan’s first offence.