Man facing 42 rape charges claims girl is his wife

KOTA KINABALU: An unemployed man claimed trial at the Sessions Court here yesterday to 42 charges of raping a minor.

The 33-year-old accused, who was brought before judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamed, was charged under Section 376 (2) (d) of the Penal Code.

The charges carry a jail term of up to 30 years and whipping, upon conviction.

The charges allege that the unrepresented accused raped the teenage girl at separate places, namely in a bedroom of a house, the living room and the kitchen of two houses at two villages in Kota Belud.

The first to 12th charges are that the accused committed the offences between August 17 and December 8, 2016 when the victim was 13 while the 13th to 42nd charges state that he raped the girl between January 4 and July 27 this year when the victim is 14 years old.

The court fixed April 23 and 24 this year for the trial and the accused was granted RM420,000 bail for all the charges with one local surety.

The court also ordered the accused not to contact the victim and any of her family members, and to report once a month at the nearest police station, pending disposal of the case.

Earlier, the prosecution did not offer any bail to the accused on the grounds that the alleged offences were serious and both the accused and the victim are staying in the same village.

The prosecution also said that the accused and victim are relatives.

In reply, the accused urged the court to release him on bail as he has to provide for a wife and children.

The accused claimed that the victim is his legal wife who consented to sexual intercourse with him.