Old man jailed, whipped for raping granddaughter

KOTA KINABALU: A 71-year-old man received hefty jail sentences and whipping from a Sessions Court here on Friday for two charges of raping and committing sexual physical assault against his granddaughter.

Judge Elsie Primus sentenced the elderly accused to a total of 29 years’ jail and 13 strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to the two charges on Friday.

On the first count, the accused was sentenced to 20 years’ jail plus 11 whippings for raping the eightyear-old victim at an unnumbered house in Kota Marudu on Dec 27, 2023.

He received another nine years and two strokes of the rattan for the second count of committing sexual physical assault against the same victim at the same place and on the same day.

The victim was seven years old when the offences were committed against her.

However, the judge ordered the accused to serve his jail terms concurrently.

He was further ordered to undergo rehabilitative counselling while in jail and to be placed under police supervision for two years after completing his jail sentences.

The court heard that the victim’s mother found her daughter with the accused inside a house. She was wearing a T-shirt and a panty.

The court also heard that the accused told the victim not to tell anyone what he did to her and if she was asked, the accused told her to just say that they were having coffee at the house.

The mother had brought her daughter to a hospital for examination and preliminary checks on the victim found that there was an old tear on her hymen.