Father and two sons deny raping girl By Safrah Mat Salleh

KOTA KINABALU: A 57-yearold man and his two sons claimed trial to charges of raping a 12year-old girl, who is the daughter of their foster family.

The trio who appeared before Sessions Court judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim denied the charges when it was read to them yesterday.

The father was alleged to have raped the girl at a house in a village at Papar at 4pm in early April, 2017. His two sons, aged 19 and 36, were accused of raping the same girl at the same place between 7 pm and 8 pm in April, 2017 and at midnight in late March, 2017.

All of them were charged under Section 376 (2)(d) of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to 30 years and also liable to whipping, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Dinesh Raja objected for bail to be given to the three accused in view of the serious nature of the offence and t was a non-bailable offence.

According to Dinesh, the eldest accused is the grandfather of the girl and there is a possibility that the accused persons may tamper with the prosecution witnesses.

Furthermore, the victim has given birth to a baby, he added.

Counsel Farazwin Haxdy for the accused persons, prayed for bail to be granted to the accused persons. She said the victim and the accused persons were not related by blood and were only a foster family of the girl.

Farazwin told the court that the eldest accused and his 36-year-old son were the sole breadwinners of their families while the other son is a student at a skills institute in Kinarut. She added that the girl and accused persons are not living at the same house or staying nearby.

The court fixed trial dates on October 1-4, October 8-11 and 15-18 this year and rejected bail for the accused persons in view of the seriousness of the offence involving sexual crime against child.