Businessman sentenced to 14 years in jail for raping maid

KUALA LUMPUR: A businessman was sentenced to 14 years' jail and five strokes of the rotan for raping his Indonesian maid.

Sessions Court judge Datin M. Kunasundary handed down the decision Friday after the defence had failed to prove reasonable doubt against Sufian Sulaiman, 44.

Sufian was charged with raping his then 19-year-old maid at a house in Taman Bukit Cheras here between 3am and 4am at the end of July 2016.

The father of six children was charged under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code which carries a maximum of 20 years’ jail and whipping upon conviction.

The judge later granted a stay pending an appeal at the High Court but increased the bail to RM25,000 with one surety from RM12,000.

The accused was also ordered to report to the nearest police station twice a month and surrender his passport to court.

Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Haffizza Sauni urged the court to mete out a deterrent sentence against the accused to serve as a lesson to him.

In asking for leniency, the accused's lawyer Shah Rizal Abdul Manan submitted that his client was a first time offender and did not have a fixed income.

Shah Rizal said Sufian needed to support his two wives and six children aged between three and 14 years old.