On January 27, The Sessions Court in Klang, Malaysia sentenced a man to 1,050 years in jail and 24 cane strokes.
Judge Datin M. Kunasundary handed down the sentence after the man pleaded guilty to raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter 105 times over a period of two years.
The judge ordered the accused to serve 10 years in prison and two strokes of the cane for each rape charge, with the sentence to run consecutively from the date of his arrest on January 20.
The court hearing took almost five hours after each charge was read out separately.
In a passing sentence, Kunasundary said the offense was not only grave, but it also was abominable and had blighted the child’s future.
“I hope you will repent while in prison. You should not have committed a violent act and although the punishment is minimum, the court feels this is sufficient by taking into account the number of charges against you,” the judge said.
The unnamed man was charged with committing incest by raping his stepdaughter at a house in Sungai Way, Petaling, Selangor from Jan 5 2018 until Feb 24 2020 under Section 376B of the Penal Code which provides for a prison term of not less than 10 years and not exceeding 30 years, and whipping.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Qistini Qamarul Abrar urged the court to impose a heavy custodial sentence and the maximum strokes of the cane on the accused, taking into account the public interest factor.
“The victim, in this case, was 12-years-old when she was first raped by the accused, who then continued to rape her 105 times over a period of two years.”
“As as stepfather of the victim, he should have been responsible for protecting the victim but instead he destroyed her self-worth. His action will cause life-long trauma to the victim,” Nurul Qistini, who jointly prosecuted in the case with Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Afiq Zuber.
“Incest cases are appalling and condemnable offenses and viewed seriously by every level of society, regardless of religion. “
“The action of the accused is akin to haruan makan anak (a snakehead fish eating its own fry) and viewed seriously by the general public, which is not just against the law but against religious teachings as well,” said Nurul Qistini, who then urged the court that the sentences run consecutively.
The accused man —who was unrepresented— did not appeal with regards to sentencing.
Based on the facts of the case, the child’s biological parents divorced in 2015 and the mother married the accused in November 2016.
During the incidents, only the victim and the accused were in the house and she had never told anyone of the rapes as the accused had threatened and hit her.
The child only revealed the incidents after her mother brought her and her younger sister to their aunt’s house.