2007 03: Deaf-mute held over rape of teen

The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday March 10, 2007

By FARIK ZOLKEPLI

PONTIAN: A 67-year-old deaf and mute man allegedly raped a teenaged girl on three occasions, paying her between RM30 and RM40 each time.

According to police, he also threatened to slit her throat if she told anyone about the rape.
However, the matter was discovered when the 16-year-old complained of abdominal pains last month.

A medical check-up at a clinic in Air Baloi here showed her to be three months' pregnant.
Pontian OCPD Supt Zainuddin Zainal confirmed that the victim had lodged a police report on the alleged rape. The suspect has been arrested.

The victim, a secondary school student, claimed the man had raped her on three occasions since last October.

Supt Zainuddin said the first incident occurred at about 8pm in October when the victim was on her way to a grocery shop near her house.

The suspect invited here to his house using sign language. He then forced himself on her.
After raping her, he paid her RM30.

Later in the month, he raped her again in a hut in an oil palm estate in the area.

He raped her for a third time on Nov 15 in the same hut, this time paying her RM40, Supt Zainuddin said.

In an unrelated incident, a 31-year-old deaf-mute has been detained by police for allegedly raping a disabled factory worker on Feb 27.

Supt Zainuddin said the 31-year-old victim, who is also deaf and mute, was on her way home from work when the suspect approached her at a bus stop in Pekan Nenas.

Both suspect and victim are members of the Pekan Nenas Deaf and Mute Society.

“The suspect persuaded her to follow him on his motorcycle and took her to an oil palm plantation 5km away, where he raped her.

“He then sent her home,” Supt Zainuddin said, adding that the victim had lodged a police report on the same day.