Yong to serve eight years for raping domestic helper
PUTRAJAYA: Former Tronoh assemblyman Paul Yong, who was found guilty of raping his maid, has failed in his final appeal to set aside the conviction.
Yong will be sent to Kajang Prison immediately to serve his eight-year prison sentence and to receive two strokes of the rotan.
A three-judge panel of the Federal Court chaired by Chief Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh unanimously dismissed Yong’s appeal to set aside his conviction and sentence.
“The appellant’s appeal is hereby dismissed. We hereby issue a committal order against the appellant,” Justice Wan Ahmad Farid said yesterday.
Other judges on the Bench were Federal Court judges Justices Nordin Hassan and Hanipah Farikullah.
In the decision, the court found no miscarriage of justice against Yong throughout the trial.
Justice Wan Ahmad Farid said the Federal Court was satisfied that the victim, identified only as PW15, was a credible witness and the High Court had been correct to accept her testimony.
“The trial judge is the most appropriate party to assess the demeanour of witnesses when giving testimony in the High Court,” he said.
Some of the evidence brought before the court was the victim’s personal diary in which she wrote “Aku benci diriku” (I hate myself).
During the trial, when asked what she meant by these words, the victim said she feels “kotor, jijik dan hina” (dirty, disgusting and unworthy).
“PW15 also testified that before the rape incident, the appellant had sexually harassed her a few times in the appellant’s house,” Justice Wan Ahmad Farid said.
This was corroborated by a medical examination on July 9, 2019, where the examiner found fresh tears of the hymen, which occurred less than 72 hours from the time of the examination and could be caused by penile penetration.
“The evidence from the CCTV also established the fact that at the time of the incident, the appellant was alone with PW15.”
Yong’s lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik later told the press that his client was shocked and deeply disappointed by the decision.
Deputy public prosecutors Mohd Amril Johari and Mohd Fuad Abd Aziz appeared for the prosecution.
Yong was appealing against the Court of Appeal’s decision which upheld the High Court’s decision convicting him for raping his 23-year-old Indonesian maid.
The offence was said to have been committed in a room at Yong’s house in Ipoh, between 8.15pm and 9.15pm on July 7, 2019.
