Disabled student pleads guilty to statutory rape

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KUCHING: A disabled student yesterday pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court here to raping an underage girl.

The 18-year-old accused, who is speech and hearing impaired, appeared before Judge Nixon Kennedy Kumbong who reserved May 16 for further mention of the case.

The date was fixed for the delivery of judgment and the accused ordered to engage a defence counsel.

The 18-year-old accused was charged with raping the 15-year-old girl, also deaf and dumb, at a worker’s house at Jalan Ang Cheng Ho around 12am between April 29 and May 1 this year.

He was convicted under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code for rape which provides a minimum five years’ jail and not more than 20 years’ jail and whipping upon conviction.

The complainant who is the girl’s father found that his daughter had left their house at about 6pm on April 28.

He received a text message from his daughter at about 10.50am on May 1, saying she was near KFC in Batu Kawa new township.

He rushed to pick her up and noticed she was wearing the same clothes as that worn on leaving the house three days ago.

The father suspecting something amiss lodged a police report.

Following initial investigation, a teenager suspected to have raped the girl was picked up from his school at about 1.30pm on May 3.

In yesterday’s court appearance, the teacher of the accused acted as interpreter.