Sibu man who sexually assaulted teen relative gets total 24 years’ jail, eight lashes

SIBU (Jan 24): The Sessions Court here today sentenced a 38-year-old man to a total of 24 years in prison and eight strokes of the rotan after he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault against his distant cousin.

He faced two charges under Section 14(d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, punishable under Section 14 of the same Act, which provides for a maximum 20 years in prison and caning upon conviction.

He sexually assaulted the teenager in March 2020 at 12.30pm and again in June 2020 around 1pm at a house in a village here.

Judge Stella Augustine Druce sentenced the man to 12 years in prison and four strokes of the rotan for each charge.

She also ordered for the imprisonment terms to run consecutively.

The man will also be placed under police supervision for a period of two years immediately after the expiration of his custodial sentence pursuant to Section 27 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.

Deputy public prosecutor Umi Syukrian Harun called eight witnesses to testify in the case, while the man, who was unrepresented by legal counsel, called five witnesses, including himself, to the stand.