Kota Kinabalu: A 44-year-old man who molested an 11-year-old girl while he was drunk, was sentenced to eight years’ jail and ordered to get two strokes of the cane.
Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain meted out the sentence to Wong Chee Shin who pleaded guilty to the charge against him.
Wong had committed physical sexual harassment by molesting the minor’s right thigh at 7.35pm on July 13, this year, at a grocery shop in Taman Suria, Penampang.
The offence, under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act (SOACA) 2017, provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, on conviction.
The court ordered Wong to serve the jail sentence from the date of his arrest.
During mitigation, Wong who was not represented, asked for leniency saying that he needed to look after his five siblings.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Fazriel Fardiansyah Abdul Kadir urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence considering the public interest and seriousness of the offence.
The court heard that an unknown man who was under the influence of alcohol had approached the victim and asked her what she watched on her handphone.
The man, later identified as Wong, then sat beside the victim, put his hands on her right thigh and molested her.
The victim who did not feel comfortable with Wong’s action then stood up, ran towards her uncle and told the uncle about the incident.
The victim’s father then lodged a police report after being informed by his elder brother and following the report, Wong was arrested.
Investigation revealed that Wong had committed the sexual abuse against the minor which was proven by the CCTV footage.
