Court confirms 30-year prison sentence for child rape

Chief Judge Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong, together with Judges Conrad Seagroatt and Edward Timothy Starbuck Woolley, confirmed on 20 June the sentence of 30 years and four months imprisonment and 20 lashes for a 29-year-old man convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl.

The defendant, Deputy Public Prosecutor Rozaimah binti Abdul Rahman, disclosed that the appellant, a friend of the victim’s brother, often stayed at the victim’s house after the victim was thrown out of the house by his mother.

The crimes occurred in 2021. He first raped the victim in his mother’s house and later in a bathroom in her house.

The victim reported the incidents in September 2022, which led to a report being filed with the police and the arrest of the accused.

The defendant initially pleaded not guilty to three counts, but changed his plea to guilty to two counts following the victim’s testimony on July 26, 2023.

Due to the late plea of ​​guilt, the judge reduced the original sentence by 20 percent.

Ultimately, the defendant was sentenced to a total of 30 years and four months in prison and 20 lashes.

The appeal judges considered the sentence appropriate in view of the seriousness of the offences and the appellant’s breach of trust.

The absence of a psychological report on the impact on the victim was noted, with the court stressing the duty of the prosecution to arrange for such reports. The appeal was dismissed. – Fadley Faisal