Kota Kinabalu: A 56-year-old Timorese farmer was jailed 20 years plus six strokes of the cane for raping his seven-year-old granddaughter.
Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus meted out the sentence to the man who pleaded guilty.
The man during the middle of the trial changed his plea after the prosecution had already called six witnesses to testify.
He raped the girl between 9am and 6pm in 2018 at an palm oil estate in Jalan Marak-Parak, Kota Marudu.
The offence under Section 376(2)(e) of the Penal Code carries a jail term of between 10 and 30 years, and whipping, on conviction.
The court ordered the man to serve the jail sentence from the date he was charged in court which was on Sept 27, 2022.
After completing the jail sentence, the man was ordered to be referred to the Immigration Department.
The man who was not represented, asked for leniency during mitigation.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Hajar Mazlan urged the court to impose a heavy sentence on the grounds that it was a serious offence as the victim was the man’s granddaughter who was supposed to be protected by him.
Siti further submitted that the man only changed his plea after the prosecution had called six witnesses.
