A 61-year-old former factory worker was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here today after pleading guilty to raping his daughter when she was 12 years and three months old last year.
The accused entered his guilty plea on the second day of trial after the prosecution called six witnesses to testify on the first day yesterday.
Judge Suhailla Selag convicted the man and ordered him to serve 15 years in prison from the date of conviction, in addition to receiving 10 strokes of the cane.
According to the charge, the accused committed the offence against his daughter at a house in Kunak at about 11pm in February 2025.
He was charged under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code, which provides for between eight and 30 years’ imprisonment and whipping of not less than 10 strokes upon conviction.
The court also ordered the accused to undergo rehabilitation counselling under Section 26 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 throughout his imprisonment.
Upon completing his prison sentence, he will also be placed under police supervision for two years under Section 27 of the same Act.
The accused, who was unrepresented by a lawyer, had appealed for a lighter sentence, citing his guilty plea and admission of responsibility for the offence.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharif Aizad Murnizam urged the court to impose a stern punishment, stressing that the victim was the accused’s own daughter.
He said the accused, as a father, should have protected his daughter from threats and harm rather than becoming the person who subjected her to the offence.
According to the facts of the case, the victim disclosed the incident to her mother at about 9am on 7 February 2025.
The girl, who was 12 years and three months old at the time, had been living with the accused after her parents divorced.
The sentence also includes post-release supervision and rehabilitation measures, reflecting the court’s approach to cases involving sexual offences against children.
