KOTA KINABALU: A man was sentenced to seven years in jail and given one stroke of the cane by the Sessions Court in Tawau for committing a sexual offence against an eight-year-old girl last October.
Sessions Court Judge Rosli Ahmad handed the sentence to Jumaidi Abdillah Adi Basar, 40, after the latter pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 14 (d) of Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 on Wednesday (June 14).
Jumaidi was accused of committing the offence against the underaged girl in a four-wheel drive vehicle at the back alley of a fast-food chain at about 8.30pm last Oct 20.
The charge provides for a punishment of a jail term up to 20 years or shall also be liable to whipping on conviction.
According to the facts of the case, the accused was seen on the day of the incident approaching the victim who was at the time standing on the roadside before grabbing her into a Toyota Hilux he was driving.
He was then accused of driving the girl to the back alley of the restaurant before committing the sexual offence.
The accused then left the victim in a weakened state in the area.
The girl was found by the public and brought to the hospital where a test by medical experts found that she had four new tears to her hymen.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Suhaimi Suriana urged the court to hand a deterrent sentence as the case was of public interest and the traumatic experience on the victim.
The court then meted the sentence and ordered for the accused to serve his jail sentence from the day of his arrest on Oct 22 last year.
Counsel Kamarudin Mohmad Chinki represented the accused.
Meanwhile, the Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu sent Mohd Herman Pawawo to nine years behind bars and one stroke of the cane for molesting a 10-year-old girl.
Mohd Herman, 62, was handed the sentence by Sessions Court Judge Ummu Khaltom Abdul Samad who found the accused guilty of the offence following a full trial here on Wednesday (June 14).
He was accused of molesting the girl at a grocery shop near here at 11.30am on Oct 13, 2019.
Ummu made the ruling after holding that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The accused was ordered to run his custodial sentence effective from the date of his arrest on Oct 13, 2019.
Mohd Herman was also instructed by the court to be put through rehabilitative counselling during his jail time and be placed under police supervision for two years after his release from prison.
He was charged under Section 14 (a) of Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which provides for a maximum 20-year jail term and whipping on conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Faezah Jafry appeared on behalf of DPP Siti Hajar Mazlan for the prosecution side while the accused was represented by counsel PJ Perira.
