A former hotel security guard has been handed a lengthy custodial sentence along with strokes of the rotan after admitting to the rape and sodomy of an Australian tourist in an incident that occurred last year.
Sessions Court judge Juraidah Abbas imposed the punishment on 25-year-old S. Prasanth after he entered guilty pleas to both charges before the commencement of the trial. The court proceedings concluded swiftly following his admission of responsibility.
For the rape offence under Section 376(2)(b) of the Penal Code, the accused was sentenced to 12 years in prison together with eight strokes of the rotan. On a separate charge of carnal intercourse against the order of nature under Section 377C, he was given 10 years’ jail and four strokes of the rotan.
The court ordered both jail terms to run concurrently from the date of his arrest. Such cases involving violent sexual crimes are often treated with severe penalties by the courts as part of wider efforts to uphold public safety and maintain confidence in the justice system.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Anuarul Hakim Abdul Muen pressed for a deterrent sentence, stressing the seriousness of the offence. He argued that crimes of this nature, particularly involving a foreign tourist, could have wider repercussions on Malaysia’s international image and diplomatic relations.
Defence counsel Arvind Santhanam, however, urged the court to consider mitigation, noting that his client had shown remorse by pleading guilty at an early stage. He added that Prasanth had accepted full responsibility for his actions and was prepared to face the consequences imposed by law.
Based on court facts, the offences took place inside a Perodua Axia at the Hong Seng Estate Chinese cemetery between 5.20am and 6pm on June 28 last year, where the victim was allegedly threatened with a pair of scissors and placed in fear of death or serious injury.
