Kota Kinabalu: A man was sentenced to 12 years in jail and ordered given four strokes of the cane for raping his underaged girlfriend.
Mohd Saini Ruslan pleaded guilty before Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain, to the charge against him.
Mohd Saini who is currently serving sentence, for another sexual offence, raped the 13-year-old girl at 11.30am on Feb 18, 2023 inside a car parked at the garbage dump area in Ranau.
The offence under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, on conviction.
The court ordered Mohd Saini to serve the jail sentence from the date of his conviction.
In mitigation, Mohd Saini who was not represented, asked for leniency and the sentence to run concurrently with his current sentence.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Fazriel Fardiansyah Abdul Kadir urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence on the grounds that it was a serious and rampant offence.
The court heard that Mohd Saini was arrested following a police report lodged by the victim’s mother.
Investigation revealed that the victim went out from their house on the said day and was then found on Feb 22, 2023 in Beaufort with Mohd Saini.
The victim then told the mother that Mohd Saini had raped her.
