Prison cell. — DayakDaily.com file pic. // Image by Ichigo121212 from Pixabay

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By Dorcas Ting

KUCHING, July 8: A 35-year-old man was sentenced to 32 months in prison by the Magistrate’s Court today after pleading guilty to sending obscene photographs to his 16-year-old sister-in-law last June.

The accused appeared before Magistrate Leona Dominic Mojiliu and admitted to a single charge under Section 11(1)(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which prohibits lewd communication with minors.

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The victim was 16 years and seven months old at the time of the offence. The law carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment upon conviction.

The incident took place at a residence along Jalan Datuk Ajibah Abol between 3.30am and 7.30am on June 24.

Court documents revealed that the teenager received a message containing an explicit image from her brother-in-law. Distressed and offended by the act, she saved screenshots of the exchange as evidence and subsequently lodged a police report.

Authorities acted swiftly, arresting the suspect around 11pm on June 30 and seizing the mobile phone used to send the inappropriate image. Investigators confirmed that he had engaged in lewd and improper communication with the underage girl.

Further inquiries uncovered additional disturbing details, with the accused admitting that he had secretly filmed his niece while she was bathing, from March of the previous year through June of this year. Although he kept the photos and videos for personal viewing and did not distribute them, he also confessed to struggling with a pornography addiction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Fauzulutfi Suriani prosecuted the case. — DayakDaily