KOTA KINABALU: A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years’ jail and four strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy.
Sessions Court Judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya meted out the punishment on Meruan Daud for committing the offence under Section 14 (a) of Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
According to the charge, he was accused of sexually assaulting the teenager at a barber shop in Kampung Mentadak Baru Sungai Tamang, Pulau Sebatik at 12pm on March 11.
It was revealed that the victim had known the accused since 2011, as they lived in the same village. The accused had reportedly engaged in sexual activities with the teenager frequently, sometimes as often as once a week, up until March 11.
Following a medical examination at a health clinic in the Kubota area, the victim was diagnosed as HIV positive. He disclosed that he had engaged in sexual interactions with the accused, leading to his infection.
The offence under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, for physical sexual assault on a child, provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
Ahmad Faizadh in delivering the sentence, said the jail term was effective from the date of arrest on April 2.
