PUTRAJAYA: An odd job worker will serve 25 years in jail with 24 strokes of the rotan for raping his stepdaughter in 2015.
The 41-year-old man initially appealed to the Court of Appeal seeking a lesser prison term but withdrew his appeal today after Judge Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said, who led a three-member bench, told the man that the 25 years' jail term was reasonable as he had five rape charges, the jail terms to be served concurrently.
Kamaludin told him that the maximum jail term imposed under the law for such an offence is 30 years, adding that the court could order him to serve the jail term consecutively which means he would be in prison longer.
Standing in the accused dock in blue prison uniform, the man then told the court that he wanted to withdraw the appeal against his jail sentence. He was unrepresented.
Kamaludin, who presided with Judges Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Datuk Azman Abdullah, then struck out the appeal.
On Feb 27, 2019, the Kluang Sessions Court found the man guilty of five rape charges involving his 13-year-old stepdaughter and sentenced him to 25 years' jail and 10 strokes of the rotan for each charge and ordered the imprisonment term to run concurrently from the date he was arrested on Oct 19, 2015, which means he will only serve 25 years in jail.
His appeal to reduce the jail term was dismissed by the Muar High Court on Oct 14, 2020. – Bernama