KOTA KINABALU: A man, who raped his 15-year-old sister in-law, has been given a 10-year jail sentence and three whippings.
Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan issued the sentence on Friday (Aug 25) after the 41-year-old man pleaded guilty to committing the heinous crime at a village house in the southwestern Papar district at 2am on June 9.
The accused was charged under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code which provided a maximum 20-year jail sentence and whipping if found guilty.
The accused, according to the facts of the case, entered the girl’s bedroom by opening the grille of its window using a screwdriver on the day of the incident.
The victim’s mother found out about the incident on Aug 17, when she asked the daughter why the accused had met her at night.
At first, the girl did not disclose anything but after being pressed further by the mother, she divulged the incident which later led to the arrest of the accused the next day.
The girl also told the mother that the incident had taken place multiple times, with the last on June 9.
The accused, who was not represented, asked the court to impose a lenient sentence on him during mitigation, saying he had two children and his parents to look after.
Deputy public prosecutor Dacia Jane Romanus, however, urged the court for a deterrent sentence instead due to the seriousness and rampancy of the case.
