SIBU: A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to a total of 104 years in prison and given 18 strokes of rotan by the Sessions Court for raping his two underaged stepdaughters.
The accused, a former utility company employee, pleaded guilty to nine charges.
According to the facts of the case, the two victims, who are 15 and 16 years old, had at 11am on Oct 25, at their barrack home in Jalan Salim, told their mother that they had been raped by the accused since 2020.
This led to the arrest of the accused at 4.25pm the next day.
Pleading for leniency, the man said he was remorseful and promised not to commit the offence again.
Deputy public prosecutor Cynthia Emmelda Jerry pressed for a severe sentence, saying that the accused had forced the two girls to fulfil his desire.
Judge Musyiri Peet ordered for the sentences to run consecutively.
He said the court takes serious note that the offences were committed by the accused, who is the stepfather of the two young victims.
“The offences occurred on multiple occasions, at different times, clearly showing a pattern of persistent abuse.
“The fact that the accused committed such heinous acts against not one but two children under his care, severely aggravates the gravity of the offences. The court finds that the accused has gravely breached the trust placed in him as a guardian and stepfather,” he said.
Musyiri added that sexual offences against children within the family setting and involving multiple victims, warranted a stern response.
“The law must protect the most vulnerable members of society and perpetrators must be held fully accountable,” he said.
