Fisherman gets jail, cane for raping step-granddaughter

0

KOTA KINABALU: A 50-year-old fisherman who raped his 11-year-old step-granddaughter five times and threatened to beat her if she told anyone about it was yesterday sentenced to 12 years’ jail and five strokes of the cane by the High Court here.

High Court deputy registrar Mohd Hafizi Bin Abdul Halim, who sat as a judge, said he convinced after reading the evidence and submissions from both parties carefully that the accused from Beaufort was guilty as charged.

The fisherman, who raped the girl at their home in a Beaufort village last month, was charged under Section 376 (3) of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping.

Deputy public prosecutor Chow Siang Kong urged the court to pass a deterrent sentence on the accused as the case involved an underage girl.

“The victim should be protected, not raped by her own family member,” he said.

The accused, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency, saying he had to provide for his family.