Elderly painter gets four-year jail for committing sexual assault on girl

KUCHING: The Sessions Court here yesterday sentenced a senior citizen to four years in jail for sexually assaulting a 12year-old girl.

The 63-year-old man pleaded guilty to charges under Section 14 (d) of Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which were read to him.

In addition to imprisonment, Judge Jason Juga also imposed one stroke of the whip on the accused, and ordered him to undergo rehabilitation and counselling while serving his sentence, which began yesterday (Jan 7).

“The accused is also ordered to undergo police surveillance under Section 27 of Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, for one year a er the completion of his sentence,” said the judge.

It is said that the elderly man was a painter, who was hired to paint the fence around the victim’s house.

Based on facts of the case, he hugged and kissed the girl, and also touched her chest when he was at her house in Kenyalang Park, at around 2.30pm on Dec 27 last year.

The girl later informed her mother about the incident that very same day.

In court, the accused appealed to have his sentence reduced, saying that it was his first offence, and that he had to take care of his cancer-stricken wife, currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

However, Deputy Public Prosecutor ( DPP) Nurfadzlin Mahmad Zulhasnan called for the court to maintain the sentence, in view of the severity of any crime that involved children.

The prosecution pointed out that the incident would have a lifelong psychological impact on the victim.

“The court also needs to take into account the frequency of cases under Section 27; thus, heavy penalties imposed will be a lesson to the perpetrators and the public.

“It (punishment) is intended to ensure that the accused would not repeat the dastardly act,” said DPP Nurfadzlin.