KOTA KINABALU: A 35-year-old rubber tapper was given a 15-year jail sentence and ordered to be given two strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here yesterday for raping a minor two years ago.Judge Ismail Brahim, in finding Ikbal Muharam guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl, ruled that his defence failed to create doubt in the prosecution’s case.
The undefended defendant raped the girl at a house in a village in Penampang about 9.30am on Sept 15, 2008.
Ikbal, an Indonesian, was charged under Section 376 (2) (d) of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of between five and 30 years and whipping upon conviction.
The trial started on April 14, this year with Deputy Public Prosecutor Nartiah F Michelle Sambatan calling five witnesses before closing the prosecution’s case.On Thursday, the court ruled that the prosecution had made out a case against Ikbal and ordered him to enter his defence.
Ikbal gave evidence from the accused’s dock on the same day before closing his defence.