Photo for illustration purposes only.
KOTA KINABALU: A man was jailed 14 years for raping a 15-year-old girl and impregnating her as a result.
Asran Jirun, 24, was ordered to serve the sentence after pleading guilty to the offence before Sessions Court judge Cindy Mc Juce Balitus. He informed the court that he wished to plead guilty when his case came up for continuation of trial, on Tuesday.
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He admitted to raping the girl, who was his girlfriend at the time, between January and June 2018 in a car in Kota Belud.
According to the facts of the case, the victim was forced to engage in non-consensual sexual relations with Asran, who was 21 at the time. This resulted in the victim becoming pregnant with his child.
The facts of the case stated that Asran and the victim had known each other since 2017 and were lovers.
The pair first met in January 2018, during which the accused Asran travelled from Kota Marudu to Kota Belud to meet the victim.
He then brought the victim to a secluded area near Kampung Pandasan, Kota Belud, where he forced the victim to perform sexual acts despite her protests.
The victim later found out she was pregnant and gave birth in April 2019. A DNA test confirmed that Asran was the biological father.
Asran, who was unrepresented in court on Tuesday, prayed for leniency. However, deputy public prosecutor Mas Izatty urged the court to impose a heavy and deterrent sentence.
She emphasised that the victim was considered a child at the time of the offence at the age of 15, while the accused was an adult. The offence had impacted the mental state of the victim, causing her to be disturbed by the incident. Mas added that the victim had no ability to care for the child, who was being raised by other family members.
In addition to the 14-year jail sentence, judge Cindy also ordered six strokes of the cane on the accused.
He was sentenced under an amended charge of Section 376 (1) of the Penal Code. Upon conviction, the provision carries up to 20 years behind bars with whipping.