Filipino youth jailed for raping a minor

KOTA KINABALU: A 21-year-old Filipino was sentenced to 10 years' jail by the Sessions Court here yesterday for raping a minor.

Judge Azreena Aziz meted out the sentence on Alman Saad after he changed his plea and admitted to a charge under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.

Alman, who worked as a cook, raped the 14-year-old girl at a workers’ quarters in Lok Kawi, Kinarut at 7am some time in February 2017.

He was ordered to serve the jail sentence from the date of his arrest and thereafter to be referred to the Immigration Department.

In mitigation, Alman, who was not represented, pleaded for a lenient sentence, but deputy public prosecutor Husna Abdul Halim pressed for a deterrent sentence against the accused.

Based on facts of the case, Alman was an employee at a restaurant in Lok Kawi and had known the victim since February, 2017. On the day of the incident, the victim had left her purse at the workers? quarters and had gone there to get it back. The victim then met Alman, who was at the house at the time, and Alman invited her into his bedroom and a sexual intercourse took place.

The victim was later found to be 23-weeks pregnant and a police report was lodged against Alman on August 7, 2017, and he was arrested on the same day.

The victim delivered a baby boy on November 8, 2017 and after a DNA analysis was made based on the blood samples of the accused, the victim and the baby, the DNA result confirmed that Alman is the biological father of the baby.