The man (left) is escorted away to begin serving his sentence.
KUCHING (March 15): The Sessions Court here today sentenced a 30-year-old man to 12 years in jail and three strokes of the cane after finding him guilty of raping a then 16-year-old girl in 2018.
Judge Musli Ab Hamid imposed the sentence against the man from Kapit after ruling that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt against the accused.
In passing the sentence, Musli also ordered the man to undergo rehabilitative counseling during his imprisonment pursuant to Section 26 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act (Soaca) 2017.
Musli also ordered him to undergo supervision for two years immediately after serving his sentence pursuant to Section 27 of Soaca 2017.
The man was charged under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code which provides a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, if convicted.
According to the charge sheet, he raped the 16-year-old girl at a resthouse in Simunjan around 8pm on Feb 2, 2018.
The girl’s mother lodged a report after she gave birth to a baby in 2019, which led to the man’s arrest.
A hospital report confirmed that the man was the baby’s biological father.
DPP Norshafatihah Nor Azmi prosecuted the case, while the man was represented by lawyer CM Sundram.