Man jailed 15 years for raping stepgranddaughter

KOTA KINABALU: A pirate taxi driver was sentenced to 15 years in jail by the Sessions Court here yesterday for raping his 12-yearold step-granddaughter.

Judge Azreena Aziz imposed the sentence on the 56-year-old man after he pleaded guilty to the charge in the midst of his trial.

The prosecution had called three witnesses during the trial before he decided to admit to committing the offence.

The accused had raped the girl at a house in Penampang at 10pm in April, 2018, which was an offence under Section 376 (2)(e) of the Penal Code.

He was liable to a jail term of not less than 10 years and not more than 30 years and also whipping, upon conviction.

In mitigation, the accused, who was unrepresented, said he was remorseful and wanted to support his children.

He said he has two children, aged 12 and 15, who are currently under the care of his siblings in Kuala Lumpur and his parents are not in good health.

However, deputy public prosecutor Dinesh Raja urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused due to the seriousness of the offence and taking public interest into consideration.

The court ordered the accused to serve the jail term from the date of his arrest on May 29, 2018 and to be placed under police supervision for two years.