Court upholds ex-transporter’s 20-year jail for sexual assault of underage sisters

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal here on Tuesday (April 16) maintained the 20-year jail term imposed on a former transporter for committing 10 counts of physical sexual assault against two underage sisters.

A three-member panel of judges comprising Justices Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail, Datuk Azman Abdullah and Datuk Azmi Ariffin dismissed his appeal for a lower jail sentence.

Justice Hadhariah, in delivering the court’s decision, said the man’s appeal did not have any merit.

Earlier, in the proceedings, Justice Hadhariah said sexual offences against children were rampant.

The court also upheld the 27 strokes of caning meted out by the High Court on the 43-year-old man.

Justice Hadhariah said the court declined to reduce the number of strokes imposed on the man although the law states that a convict may be whipped a maximum of 24 times.

She added that the court would leave it to prison authorities.

The man committed the offences on the girls, then aged 14 and 11, at a convenience store and car park of a religious school in Kampar, Perak between June 16 and 17, 2020.

He pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexually assaulting the older sister and the Sessions Court sentenced him to 10 years each, with the sentences to run concurrently.

He was also ordered to be given 18 strokes of caning.

The man was also sentenced to 10 years in jail for three counts of committing sexual assault on the younger sister.

He was ordered to be given another nine strokes of the cane, with the sentences to run concurrently.

The Sessions Court ordered for the 10-year jail term to commence after the man had completed serving the 10-year jail for the offences against the older sister.

He was ordered to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on June 20, 2020.

On July 21 last year, the High Court reduced the jail sentence of one of the charges from 10 years and three strokes of the cane to three years and no caning.

The High Court judge, however, stated that it would not make any difference as the jail sentences were to run concurrently.

Lawyer Mohamad Zaidan Daud represented the man while deputy public prosecutor Ng Siew Wee appeared for the prosecution. - Bernama