By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Aug 13: A 64-year-old man who struck his daughter’s boyfriend on the head with a machete during a violent domestic dispute was sentenced to 27 months in prison by the Magistrate’s Court here today.
The incident occurred around 7am on Aug 9 at a flat in Matang, where the accused, reportedly demanded money from his daughter. She explained that she had not yet received her salary and was unable to meet his request.
Prosecutors said the father, dissatisfied with her response, began assaulting her before retrieving a machete from his bedroom. He attempted to strike her, prompting her boyfriend, who had heard her cries for help, to rush in and push her into a bedroom for safety.
The accused then turned his aggression toward the boyfriend, chasing him through the flat while swinging the machete. The younger man tried to shield himself behind the front door, but the accused repeatedly slashed at it before landing a blow to the right side of his head.
The police were alerted via a 999 call, and the injured man was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Investigations revealed that the accused harboured long-standing resentment toward his daughter, claiming she often refused to give him money for food, would not cook for him, and did not treat him “as a father should be treated”.
Unemployed at the time, he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon. Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan ordered the 27-month sentence to take immediate effect.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Adriana Maisarah Mohd Farid urged the court to impose a stiff penalty, highlighting the need to deter similar acts and safeguard public safety. — DayakDaily
