KUCHING, Aug 1 — The Sessions Court here yesterday sentenced a general worker to 15 years in prison and three stokes of the cane for raping a 16-year-old girl.
Judge Iris Awen Jon convicted the unrepresented accused on his own guilty plea to a charge of committing physical sexual assault, framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and punishable under Section 14 of the same Act.
The court also ordered to undergo rehabilitation and counselling during his imprisonment, and to be placed under police supervision for two years upon his release.
The accused committed the offence in a container room for contract workers in Serian between 7pm and 8pm on June 19, 2025.
The facts of the case stated that the victim was asleep in the container room when she was approached by the accused, whom she had become acquainted with via a social media app.
He then held the victim by the neck and pulled at her shirt until it tore before raping her.
The victim reportedly cried out for help but no one heard her, with the accused then threatening to kill her if she continued to scream.
He is said to have raped her three times, and during the third incident, several individuals heard her scream and came to her aid, taking her to another room.
Acting on a report lodged by the girl, police arrested the accused at a workers’ quarters in Miri on July 17.
During mitigation, the accused pleaded for leniency on the grounds that he is supporting his stroke-afflicted father and has a three-month-old child.
However, deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Aiman Mutallib Mohamad Shariff urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, citing public interest, nature of the offence, and frequency of such cases.
The DPP also referred the court to a similar case in the Kota Samarahan Sessions Court in 2022 where the court had imposed a jail sentence of 15 years and three strokes of the cane. — The Borneo Post
* If you are experiencing sexual violence, the following hotlines offer free and confidential support: Talian Kasih at 15999 or WhatsApp 019-2615999 (24/7); All Women’s Action Society at 016-2374221/016-2284221 (9.30am-5.30pm); and Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) at 03-30008858 or SMS/WhatsApp TINA 018-9888058 (24/7)
