A snack vendor was sentenced to seven years in prison and two strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here today after he pleaded guilty to raping his step-niece three years ago.
Judge Sayani Mohd Nor handed down the sentence to the 32-year-old accused after reviewing the arguments and pleas from both sides to convict him of the offence.
According to the charge, the man was accused of raping the victim, who was 12 years old at the time, at a house in Batu Pahat at 3 am in April 2022.
The accused was charged under Section 376 (1) of the Penal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
Based on the case facts, police received a report from the victim’s school principal on August 13, informing them that the student had been raped by her brother-in-law, who is the accused.
Initial police investigations found that the victim is the adopted daughter of the accused’s brother-in-law and the incident occurred when the teenager woke up and went to the toilet.
At the time, the accused was in the living room watching television. He followed the victim into her room before pulling down her pants.
At the same time, the accused covered the victim’s mouth with his hand to prevent her screams from being heard by other family members.
The victim had previously told her adoptive mother about the incident, but her mother ignored her and accused her of lying.
The incident was only discovered when the school found a note written by the victim, who then recounted the incident after being questioned. The school then filed a police report.
The report was made on September 1, and the victim was taken to Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital (HSNI) for treatment.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Othman Affan Ismail, while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
