A 42-year-old Bruneian yesterday pleaded guilty to two charges of outraging the modesty of his 13-year-old grandniece.
Judge Pengiran Masni binti Pengiran Haji Bahar has set September 3 to hand down sentence.
The incidents, which occurred in July and August, were detailed in court by Prosecutor Aeny Zullizam.
The defendant, who lives in Mukim Kota Batu, was entrusted with the care of the victim during her visits to her father’s house, which is located nearby. The victim’s parents are divorced. Despite the position of trust, the court heard that the defendant used criminal force against the young girl on two separate occasions.
On the first occasion, the defendant invited the victim to his house on July 11 and agreed to come over assuming that she would be spending time with the defendant’s daughter, her cousin.
When she arrived, he hugged her from behind and proceeded to inappropriately touch her.
The victim managed to escape and returned to her father’s house immediately afterward.
The second incident occurred on August 7, where the victim visited the defendant’s house again, where he forcefully made her sit on his lap before committing further indecent acts.
The court heard that the defendant instructed her not to tell anyone about the incident and gave her BND10 a few days later.
The matter came to light on August 11, when the victim confided in her mother about the abuse. Her mother promptly lodged a police report, leading to the defendant’s arrest.
During the investigation, the defendant confessed to the offences. The court also noted that he has no prior criminal record.
The defendant now faces penalties of imprisonment for a term of no less than three years and no more than 10 years, with whipping.
