KOTA KINABALU: A 56-year-old self-employed man was sentenced to 20 years in jail and ordered to be given 10 lashes of the cane by the Sessions Court here yesterday for raping his five-year-old grandchild and used grass to stop her vagina bleeding.
Judge Elsie Primus meted out the sentence to the accused after he maintained his guilty plea under Section 376 (3) of the Penal Code, when the case came up for facts of the case and his sentencing.
The indictment carries a jail term of up to 30 years and whipping, upon conviction.
The prosecution told the court the incident happened on April 19 in front of an empty house in the bushes in a village in Kota Marudu. On the same day, the victim was brought to a hospital and upon checking the victim, it was found that there was tear on her vagina.
Further investigation revealed that the accused had sexually disturbed the victim and there was blood coming out from her private parts and grass was used to stop the bleeding.
In pleading for a lenient sentence, the unrepresented accused said that he has a family to support for and his younger kid is aged one.
The accused also told the court that his wife could not work hard due to her cesarean which is not fully recovered.
In reply, the prosecution pleaded for a heavier sentence be imposed on the accused taking into account the gravity of the offence committed and also applied for whipping to be given to the accused.
The prosecution submitted that as a grandfather, the accused should protect his grandchild and not to rape her.