By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Nov 6: A man who trespassed into a woman’s home and touched her inappropriately while she was asleep has been sentenced to 14 months in prison and two strokes of the rotan.
The accused, who was unrepresented, pleaded guilty to both charges when they were read out to him at the Magistrates’ Court here today.
Magistrate Nureina Syafika Mohd Najib sentenced him on both charges on the same day.
For house trespass under Section 448 of the Penal Code, he was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment, while the charge of using criminal force with intent to outrage modesty under Section 354 of the same Code carried a 14-month jail term and two strokes of the rotan.
The Magistrate ordered both prison sentences to run concurrently from today, Nov 6.
The court heard that the incident occurred at about 2.19pm on Oct 30 at the RPR Batu Kawa housing scheme.
The accused had entered the home of a 31-year-old woman without permission before going into her bedroom and touching her buttocks without her consent while she was asleep, lying face down.
The woman woke up and shouted for her family, causing the accused to flee the bedroom. He initially tried to escape through the kitchen door but found it locked, before making his getaway through the front entrance.
Fearing for her safety and that of her family, the victim lodged a police report, leading to the accused’s arrest following investigations.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Aidil Akmal Sharidan prosecuted the case. — DayakDaily
