Man in Miri jailed two years for slapping eight-year-old niece

MIRI (Feb 20): A 34-year-old man was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by the Sessions Court here for slapping his eight-year-old niece.

In addition to the jail term, the court ordered the accused to be placed on a one-year good behaviour bond of RM2,000 with one surety, and to complete 200 hours of community service within six months after serving his sentence.

Sessions Court Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman meted out the sentence after taking into account the accused’s guilty plea, which saved the court’s time and costs, as well as his mitigation, the facts of the case, the seriousness of the offence, and public interest.

The accused was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, punishable under Section 31(1) of the same Act, which provides for a fine of up to RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both upon conviction.

According to the case facts, the accused, who had been entrusted with the care of the child, ill-treated the victim by slapping her on the cheek.

The offence was committed at about 3pm on Feb 12 at a house in Pujut Tanjung Batu here.

The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Luqman Hakim Sahrol Bahar. The accused was unrepresented.