Man receives 4 years in prison and two strokes of the cane for sexually abusing his stepdaughter

KUALA LUMPUR: A char kuey teow seller was sentenced to four years in prison and two strokes of the cane by a local court today after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his 13-year-old stepdaughter in a hotel room earlier this month.

Judge Mohd Kafli Che Ali sentenced the 44-year-old man and ordered him to begin serving his sentence from June 4. The court also ordered him to undergo psychological counselling throughout his sentence and to be under supervision for one year after serving his sentence.

The accused was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 read with Section 16(1) of the same Act for intentionally sexually assaulting his stepdaughter in a room of a hotel in Bandar Tasik Selatan at 00:44 on 3 June.

The section provides for a term of imprisonment of not more than 20 years and flogging, and under section 16(1) the offender can be punished with imprisonment of not more than five years and at least two strokes of the cane.

According to the facts of the case, the victim was supposed to board a bus from Bersepadu Selatan Terminal to a school in Johor Bahru on 2 June, but the accused informed him that tickets to that destination were sold out.

They then stayed overnight in a hotel, and in the hotel room the defendant asked the victim to put the two beds together, but she refused.

That night, the victim was woken up by the accused and discovered that she had been sexually assaulted. She told her older sister about the incident via WhatsApp chat, after which a report was filed with the police.

The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Noorhani Muhmmed Ayub. The accused had no legal representation.