KUCHING: A mechanic was sentenced to 10 years in jail and to be given 10 strokes of the cane by a Sessions Court here after pleading guilty to raping his underage girlfriend.
Yesterday Judge Amelati Parnell ordered Zion Bong Ezeekel Loong alias Ashraf Haqal Abdullah, 26, to serve the sentence immediately.
The offence against his 14 years and nine months old girlfriend was committed in a house at Jalan Matang here around 6.30pm on Oct 20 last year.
He was convicted under Section 376(2) of the Penal Code that provides for not less than five years and not more than 30 years’ jail.
DPP Stella Augustine Druce told the court the victim was raped when she was changing clothes in a room of the house.
The accused was arrested at 11.50pm on Oct 22, 2013 after the victim lodged a police report.
She was taken to Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) for a medical examination which revealed a tear in the hymen.
In passing sentence Amelati said despite saving the Court time and cost, rape was a serious offence.
The judge said the Court had taken into consideration that rape was a traumatising experience that held a social stigma besides causing shame and embarrassment to the family.
She also considered the father of two’s mitigation that he was remorseful and wish to turn over a new leaf, but the gravity of the offence called for a deterrent sentence as a reminder to society of the seriousness of the crime.