KOTA KINABALU: The Sessions Court here yesterday sentenced a man to 22 years in jail and 15 strokes of the cane for raping his teenage daughter.
Judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamed imposed the sentence on the 43-year-old accused after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 376 (3) of the Penal Code which carries a maximum jail of 30 years and whipping, upon conviction.
The unrepresented accused admitted to raping his 16-year-old daughter at a house in a village in Tuaran end of May, 2014.
Deputy public prosecutor Akmalzatul Mohamed Nawi told the court that investigation revealed that the accused had been raping his daughter since the middle of 2012 until May 2014 but the victim never told anyone about. She was referred to a hospital after her teacher noticed the physical change of her body.
The victim was then confirmed 32 weeks and four days pregnant and her father was then arrested at their home.
After that, a DNA test was done on the baby, and it was confirmed that the accused is the baby’s biological father.
In pleading for a light sentence, the accused said that he wished to see his child before the sentence was passed.
In reply, the prosecution urged the court to impose a heavier sentence on the grounds that the accused had committed a serious and heinous crime which is rampant nowadays.