KENINGAU: A 40-year-old man who raped his two stepdaughters since 11 years ago was jailed 36 years and ordered to get 22 strokes of the cane.
Sessions Court Judge Ahmad Fairuz Mohamad Puzi meted out the sentence to the man who pleaded guilty to two charges against him.
On the first count, the man was sentenced to 18 years plus 11 strokes of the cane for raping the 17-year-old girl at a residential area and the incident happened since she was six-year-old.
On the second count, he was sent to prison for another 18 years and ordered to get 11 strokes of the cane for raping the girl’s sister who is now 20-years-old, and the rape incident happened since she was nine-years-old at the same place.
The man was charged under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of between 10 and 30 years, and whipping at least 10 strokes of the cane, on conviction.
The court ordered the man to serve the jail sentence consecutively.
During mitigation, counsel Timothy Daut who represented the man, asked for leniency saying that his client was remorseful and willing to undergo rehabilitation programme to change himself to better man.
Timothy also told the court that the man was still looking after his small children.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ling Guong Zhin urged the court to impose a heavy sentence as a lesson not only to the man but public.
He added that the rape would haunt the victims for the rest of their lives.
The court heard that the man was arrested on Dec 10, 2023 following two police report lodged against him by the two victims.
The victims had revealed that they were raped by their stepfather since they were six and nine-year-old, respectively.
The man married their mother in 2010.
