A 29-year-old local man was sentenced on Saturday to 30 years and four months’ jail, with 20 strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to two charges of raping a 10-year-old girl in 2021.
The man, whose identity is withheld for the victim’s privacy, is a friend of the victim’s brother.
Sometime in 2021, the defendant brought the victim to his house, which is near theirs, according to Deputy Public Prosecutor Rozaimah Abdul Rahman.
He took the victim into his room, where the victim thought he needed her help. However, the defendant pushed the victim onto the bed and raped her.
The defendant told the victim to stop crying and took her home only after she had stopped crying.
In December 2021, the defendant went over to the victim’s house and called her to the upper floor bathroom. The victim was made to think that the defendant wanted to apologise for the earlier incident.
When the victim entered the bathroom, the defendant raped her.
Another friend of the victim’s brother saw them after they stepped out of the bathroom and asked what they were doing, to which they did not respond.
In September 2022, the victim confided in her close school friends. They reported it to a teacher, leading the school to interview the victim. A police report was lodged following the interview and the defendant was arrested the same day.
Judicial Commissioner Haji Abdullah Soefri bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin did not give a full discount in sentence on the defendant’s guilty plea.
The court said this was due to the fact that the defendant had denied the charges, and only had a change of heart mid-trial, after the victim had testified. – Fadley Faisal
