Carnal intercourse accused gets 10 years jail, two strokes

KOTA KINABALU: A warden at a religious school was sentenced to 10 years jail plus two strokes of whipping for committing carnal intercourse on a 12-yearold tahfiz pupil.

Sessions Court judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim imposed the sentence on Abdul Jumat Sapri, 27, after he pleaded guilty to the charge yesterday.

The case came up for trial, however, Abdul Jumat, who was not represented, changed his plea from not guilty to one of guilty.

Abdul Jumat had committed the offence against the 12-yearold boy by sucking his private part without his consent at the warden’s room of a madrasah (Islamic school) in Papar at 2.30am on March 19 last year.

The offence was framed under Section 377C of the

Penal Code which provides for a jail term between five and 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.

Based on the facts, Abdul Jumat had committed the act while the student together with a friend were sleeping in the warden’s room.

The victim woke up and recognized Abdul Jumat.

A police report was then lodged by the victim which led to Abdul Jumat’s arrest on August 6, 2019.

In mitigation, the accused, who was not represented, prayed for leniency on the grounds that he had learnt his lesson and will be more careful in doing his job in the future.

Meanwhile deputy public prosecutor, Megat Mahathir Megat Tharih Affendy, urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused.

He said the victim was only 12 years old at that time and deterrent punishment will serve as a lesson to the accused and the public at large.

The court also ordered for the jail term to take effect from the day of Abdul Jumat’s arrest.