By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, June 16: A 45-year-old man received a 10-year prison sentence and 10 lashes today for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy with learning disabilities.
The Sessions Court judge, Zuraidah Zakaria, delivered the verdict after the accused pleaded guilty to charges under Malaysia’s Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
The assault occurred on March 2 at a residence along Jalan Kuching-Serian, where the accused—an acquaintance of the victim’s father—forced himself on the boy in a bedroom.
The crime was interrupted when the victim’s sister heard distressed cries and discovered the assailant partially undressed, attempting to molest the child. The quick-thinking sibling captured photographic evidence before the man fled.
Prosecutors confirmed the accused was mentally fit for trial following a psychiatric evaluation.
In addition to imprisonment and caning, the court mandated a year of post-release police supervision and compulsory counselling.
Investigations revealed this was the second known assault by the perpetrator on the same victim.
Medical examinations showed no physical trauma, but forensic evidence and witness testimony secured the conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Fadzri Azham Zainudin led the prosecution in the unrepresented case. — DayakDaily
