KUCHING: An elderly man was sentenced to six months in jail and one stroke of the whip by the Sessions’ Court here today for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old step-granddaughter three years ago.
Judge Musli Abdul Hamid meted out the order after the 61-year-old accused was found guilty under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, punishable under Section 14 of the same Act, at the end of today’s defence case.
The court also ordered the accused to undergo rehabilitation counselling throughout his jail time and under police supervision for one year after his release.
According to the charges, the accused committed the act in question at a house at Taman Matang Jaya, Jalan Matang at about 3pm on December 11, 2019.
If convicted, he can be punished with imprisonment not exceeding 20 years and whipping.
However, defence counsel Abdul Rahman Mohd Hazmi, who represented the accused, requested for the accused to be released on bail pending the appeal of the case.
This is because the accused, as a businessman, has a large family to support and will not run away since the accused fully cooperated in appearing in court throughout the duration of the case.
Previously, the accused was released on a cash bail of RM5,000 with two local sureties.
Therefore, the court allowed the accused to be released with the same bail issued on December 18, 2019.
A total of eight prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses were called to testify in the case.
The prosecution of the case was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Norshafatihah Nor Azmi.
