Kota Kinabalu: A 25-year-old local carpenter and his sister, who is two years younger, were each jailed six years for incest, by the Sessions Court, here, Monday.The closely-guarded secret of the birth of a baby girl 10 months earlier was exposed by their 27-year-old elder sister.
When hauled to the court on July 11, this year, both siblings admitted committing the offence at a workers' quarters in Menggatal. They were arrested following a police report lodged by the elder sister.
Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru also ordered the carpenter to be given two strokes of the cane.
In mitigation, the siblings requested for lenient sentence saying they felt remorse over their behaviour.
The carpenter said he needed to work to support his adoptive father who has two children, while the sister said she had to look after her year-old daughter. Before passing sentence, Ravinthran told them that the court had considered their mitigating factors, but stressed that as siblings had committed a serious and despicable offence.
The siblings were separately charged under Section 376B of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of between six and 20 years, plus whipping upon conviction.
In her report, the sister said she went to the siblings abode in Menggatal, on June 12, to look for a job and borrow money and was shocked to find a 10-month-old girl in the house.
The sister then asked about the baby, but the duo could not give a reasonable answer.
The siblings' behaviour made her suspect that the baby could be theirs, as they had been staying together at the quarters since 2003.
The duo later admitted to having sexual liaisons resulting in the birth on Sept. 3, 2004. ASP Mohd Asmadi Yusoff earlier tendered a DNA report during the hearing, confirming that the carpenter is the biological father of the child.
