2007 07: 36 yrs jail and 20 strokes of cane for man who raped niece

The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 19, 2007

MUAR: The Sessions Court here yesterday sentenced a man to a total of 36 years' jail and 20 strokes of the rotan for raping his niece.

The man, 49, from Taman Sri Treh near here, had been charged on two counts with raping the girl at two houses between 1998 and 2003, after the girl, then 14, lived with him in 1998.

The accused, represented by counsel K.P. Lau, was called to enter his defence last week and yesterday, the court found him guilty to the two charges of raping the under-aged girl.

The man was first charged with raping the girl between 1998 and 2002 at a house in Jalan Sakeh and between 2002 and 2003 at a house in Taman Sri Treh.

On each of the charge, the court sentenced the man to 18 years' jail and 10 strokes of the rotan. The judge ordered the jail sentences to run consecutively from Thursday.

Lau asked the court for a stay of execution, pending appeal but Judge Mohamad Haldar Abdul Aziz rejected it.

Prosecuting officer ASP Lim Ah Bah asked the court for a deterrent sentence as the man was supposed to look after the girl but ended up raping her.

He told the court that the girl had to live with the uncle after her mother separated from her father and moved to Pagoh to work, adding that the man had agreed to look after the girl.

However, the man took advantage of his niece and raped her several times a week for five years until she decided to lodge a report on March 25, 2003.