KOTA KINABALU: A man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison and one whipping after being found guilty of raping his stepdaughter, according to the ruling of the Sessions Court on Wednesday (Oct 4).
Following a full trial where six prosecution and two defence witnesses testified, Sessions Court judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim handed down the sentence to the 46-year-old man.
The man was accused of raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter in a village house in the Tuaran district at 2am on March 15, 2020.
He was found guilty under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of between eight and 30 years in jail and whipping upon conviction.
The court instructed the accused to begin serving his custodial sentence on Nov 10, 2020, which was the day he was arrested.
During the mitigation process, the accused’s counsel, Nabila Norsahar, requested the court to consider leniency due to the offender being a first-time offender and having familial responsibilities.
However, deputy public prosecutor Dacia Jane Romanus urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, citing the prevalence and severity of the offense, particularly because the victim was a child.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
