Father convicted of sexually assaulting daughter gets less time in prison following appeal

KUALA LUMPUR: A man, who was convicted for committing 623 sexual crimes on his 15-year-old daughter, was given less time in prison, when he was sentenced to 40 years in jail and given 24 strokes of the cane by the High Court here today on one charge of raping and another charge of sodomy.
Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah meted out the punishment to the 37-year-old former unit trust agent, who was the appellant and represented by counsels N. Rajesh and Cyrus Tiu, after allowing his appeal to reduce the sentence.
The court reduced the sentence from 28 years to 24 years imprisonment for raping while another 20-year jail sentence was reduced to 16 years for sodomising his daughter.
Azman, however, maintained the 24 strokes of the rotan that was imposed by the Criminal Court on Sexual Crime Against Children against the father of three – 12 strokes of the rotan for rape and sodomy, respectively.
The court ordered the two sentences to run separately from the date of arrest on July 26, 2017.
The court today meted out punishment to two charges only, while the appeal against the remaining 621 charges of sodomy and sexual assaults has yet to be heard and July 16 has been fixed for re-mention of the case.
On Sept 8, 2017, Criminal Court on Sexual Crime Against Children, Judge Yong Zarida Sazali, sentenced the man to 48 years in jail and 24 strokes of the rotan after he pleaded guilty to 623 sexual crimes on his eldest daughter.
Yong Zarida also sentenced the man to 24 strokes of the rotan for sodomising, sexual assault and rape.
The court also ordered the man to undergo a 10-year rehabilitation counselling and be under police surveillance for three years after completing his jail sentences and ordered to pay the victim a RM10,000 compensation and in default of 12 months' jail if he failed to settle the fine.
Deputy public prosecutor Aimi Syazwani Sarmin appeared for the prosecution. — Bernama