KUALA TERENGGANU: A 44-year-old man has been sentenced to a total of 36 years in prison and 40 strokes of the cane for raping and sexually assaulting his underage niece.
Sessions Court judge Mohd Zul Zakiqudin Zulkifli, meted out the punishment after the accused pleaded guilty to all five charges here on Wednesday (May 8).
The court sentenced him to 10 years in prison and 10 strokes of the cane for one count of rape; eight years and 10 strokes each for three other counts of rape; and two years' jail with a further two years of police supervision for sexual assault.
The judge ordered all prison terms to run concurrently from March 27, the date of the man's arrest; and for the accused to receive the maximum of 24 strokes of the cane as allowed for a single trial under the Criminal Procedure Code.
Mohd Zul Zakiqudin said that in meting out the punishment, the court took into account the repeated offences, the accused's relationship with the victim, and his guilty plea which saved the court time.
According to the charge sheet, the man was accused of raping the victim, then 14 years old, four times – in January, February, March and May last year in two separate locations, namely at a restaurant and a house in Losong here.
The father of two was charged under Section 376 (3) of the Penal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of up to 30 years and no fewer than 10 strokes of the cane.
He was also accused of committing physical sexual assault against the same victim in the same house in December, the charge being framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
Deputy public prosecutor Intan Nor Hilwani Mat Rifin pressed for an appropriate sentence fitting the seriousness of the crimes that would serve as a lesson, given that sexual offences are becoming more prevalent.
The accused, who was unrepresented, expressed remorse for his actions and pleaded for leniency on the grounds that he wanted to look after his elderly mother. – Bernama
