By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Oct 14: A 27-year-old local man will spend the next 12 years behind bars and receive five strokes of the cane after the Sessions Court found him guilty of sexually assaulting his girlfriend while she was still a minor.
Sessions Court Judge Musli Abdul Hamid handed down the sentence after the man admitted to two charges under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
The case came to light after the girl, who had become pregnant, was informed of her condition by a medical officer. A police report was subsequently lodged, leading to the man’s arrest on Oct 30, 2025.
The court heard that the pair began dating in December 2024. Shortly afterwards, he had taken her out for a ride around the village before leading her into a storeroom, where the first offence took place. The girl was 16 years and five months old at the time.
The second offence took place in July 2025, when the girl was 17. Both incidents occurred at about 1.30am in the same room in a village in Petra Jaya.
The first charge was related to December 2024, while the amended second charge covered the repeated offence against the same victim seven months later.
Judge Musli sentenced the man to six years’ imprisonment and three strokes of the cane on the first charge, and another six years’ imprisonment and two strokes on the second charge.
He ordered the prison terms to run consecutively, bringing the total sentence to 12 years.
The court also ordered the man to undergo counselling while in prison and placed him under police supervision for two years following his release.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Aiman Zarith Zahrullail prosecuted the case, while Christopher Bada represented the accused. – DayakDaily
