Man fails final bid to overturn conviction for sexual offences against stepdaughters

The Court of Appeal upholds the former substitute teacher’s 14-year prison sentence and 14 strokes of the cane.

The Court of Appeal found no grounds to reduce the appellant’s sentence.

PETALING JAYA:

 The Court of Appeal today unanimously dismissed a former substitute teacher’s appeal against his conviction for sexual assault and carnal intercourse against the order of nature against his stepdaughters.

The bench comprising Justices Azmi Ariffin, Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid and Radzi Harun upheld the man’s 14-year prison sentence and 14 strokes of the cane, finding no grounds to reduce the sentence.

In delivering the court’s decision, Azmi condemned the appellant’s actions, saying he had the “audacity to commit a heinous act” against the children entrusted in his care.

He emphasised that the court viewed sexual offences with the utmost severity, noting that children were often targeted as objects for an offender’s gratification.

“Children in this country must be protected from all forms of sexual exploitation,” Bernama reported him as saying.

In 2023, the sessions court convicted the man on four counts of sexual assault against one stepdaughter and three counts of carnal intercourse against the order of nature with the other stepdaughter.

The first victim was sexually assaulted in an apartment in Gombak, Selangor, on multiple occasions between December 2019 and August 2020, while she was 16 and 17 years old.

The offence of carnal intercourse against the order of nature was committed on the second victim at the same location in August and September 2015, when she was 14 years old.

The sessions court sentenced the man to six years’ imprisonment and eight strokes of the cane for the sexual assault charges, and eight years’ imprisonment and six strokes of the cane for the carnal intercourse charges, ordering the prison sentences to be served consecutively.

The High Court dismissed his initial appeal, upholding the combined 14-year jail term and 14 strokes. The appellant then brought a further appeal against his sentence to the Court of Appeal, which was heard today.

During today’s proceedings, deputy public prosecutor Zain Ibrahim appeared for the prosecution, while the appellant was represented by counsel Bani Prakash from the National Legal Aid Foundation. - FMT