A 53-YEAR-OLD tuition teacher from Lahad Datu was sentenced to 105 years in prison and 70 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court in Tawau today after pleading guilty to seven counts of raping his eldest daughter between December last year and March 19.
Judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya ordered the accused to serve 15 years in prison and receive 10 strokes of the cane for each charge, with the prison sentences to run consecutively. However, the total number of strokes administered will be capped at 24 in accordance with Section 288 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
During the re-mention of the case, the accused entered guilty pleas to all charges, which were presented separately.
On May 6, he had admitted to raping his 25-year-old daughter across several hotels in the area, starting in December last year and culminating in offences committed on March 18 and 19.
He was charged under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code, which provides for a prison term of not less than eight years and not more than 30 years, along with a minimum of 10 strokes of the cane upon conviction.
Pleading for leniency, the accused expressed remorse for his actions and acknowledged the shame and fear he felt regarding the outcome.
"I truly repent and deeply regret what I have done. Hopefully, I will be the last person to commit such an act. I also hope to be given the opportunity, if I am released in the future, to meet my children and family to apologise to them," he said in his mitigation plea.
However, the prosecution team, comprising Deputy Public Prosecutors Muhammad Haikal Hazwan Md Yatin and Wildan Firdaus Ahmad Fazly, argued that several aggravating factors warranted maximum punishment.
They highlighted that the crime represented one of the most severe sexual offences due to the incestuous nature of the attack against his biological child.
The prosecution submitted that the father's actions not only violated the victim's dignity but destroyed the family structure that ought to have provided protection.
They revealed that the abuse had commenced when the victim was 16-years-old and involved calculated planning. The accused actively requested the victim's work schedule, instructed her to book hotel rooms, and travelled from Lahad Datu to Tawau to commit the acts.
The prosecution emphasised that the breach of trust between father and daughter served as a key aggravating element, stating that the accused betrayed his duty to safeguard his child to satisfy his own desires.
The court was also informed that the accused had previously pleaded guilty at the Lahad Datu Sessions Court to 11 charges under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code. In that case, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 strokes of the cane per charge, amounting to a cumulative 165 years in prison and 110 strokes.
Combined with today's ruling by the Tawau Sessions Court, the accused now faces a aggregate sentence of 280 years in prison and 180 strokes of the cane across both jurisdictions. - July 21, 2026
