Man gets 36 years in prison for raping underage niece

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 minor niece.

Sessions Court Judge Mohd Zul Zakiqudin Zulkifli imposed the sentence after the accused pleaded guilty to all five charges on Wednesday (May 8).

The court sentenced him to 10 years in prison and 10 strokes of the cane for rape; eight years and 10 strokes each for three other rape cases; and two years in prison with an additional two years of police supervision for sexual assault.

The judge ordered all prison sentences to run concurrently from March 27, the day of the man’s arrest; and that the defendant receives a maximum of 24 strokes of the cane, as provided for by the Code of Criminal Procedure for a single trial.

Mohd Zul Zakiqudin said that when meting out the sentence, the court took into account the repeated offenses, the defendant’s relationship with the victim and his admission of guilt, which saved the court time.

According to the indictment, the man was accused of raping the then 14-year-old victim four times – in January, February, March and May last year at two different locations, a restaurant here and a house in Losong.

The father of two was charged under Section 376 (3) of the Criminal Code, which stipulates a prison sentence of up to 30 years and no less than ten strokes of the cane.

He was also accused of committing a physical sexual assault against the same victim at the same home in December. The charge is based on Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Intan Nor Hilwani Mat Rifin urged for appropriate punishment commensurate with the seriousness of the crimes, which would serve as a lesson given the increasing prevalence of sexual crimes.

The unrepresented defendant expressed remorse for his actions and asked for leniency, saying he wanted to take care of his elderly mother. – Bernama