A MAN was sentenced to 26 years in prison and five strokes of the rotan by the Lahad Datu Sessions Court after pleading guilty to two charges of raping a minor in August last year.
The decision was made by Judge Suhailla Selaq after the accused, Basry Asang, 49, pleaded guilty to two optional charges.
The accused is charged with raping the victim, who was 11 years and 11 months old at the time of the incident, at an unnumbered house on Jalan Segama Lahad Datu, between 1 pm and 3 pm, on August 18, 2024.
The accused, who is also a religious studies teacher, is charged with repeating the act at the same location and time the next day.
For both offences, the accused was charged under Section 376(2) of the Penal Code which provides for a prison sentence of not less than 10 years and not more than 30 years and shall also be punished with whipping if convicted.
The court sentenced him to 13 years in prison and two strokes of the rotan for the first charge, and a prison sentence of the same period and three strokes of the cane for the second charge.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Juhn Tao requested a severe sentence considering the serious offence of the accused which was inhumane, besides tarnishing the dignity and self-esteem of the victim and leaving her with a traumatised.
The court ordered the prison sentences to run separately from the date the accused was arrested, which is on 20 August 2024.
The accused is also required to undergo rehabilitation counselling throughout his imprisonment period, in addition to undergoing a police supervision order for two years after completing his sentence. – July 15, 2025
