Man claims trial to 80 charges of rape against 13-year-old at Puchong house

A Sri Lankan man pleaded not guilty at the Special Court for Sexual Crimes Against Children in Putrajaya to 80 charges of raping his girlfriend’s underage daughter.

The 37-year-old man, who is also the child’s guardian, was charged with raping the girl, who was then 13 years old, at a house in Puchong from Jan 9, 2018 to Nov 5, 2019.

He was charged under Section 375 (g) of the Penal Code and can be punished under Section 376 (1) of the same Act, read together with Section 16 (1) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.

Section 376 (1) of the Penal Code provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.

Section 16 (1) states that if a person who commits an offence is in a relationship of trust with the child, he will be punished with imprisonment of up to five years and at least two strokes of caning.

Judge Yong Zarida Sazali set Feb 15 for mention of the case and did not grant the accused bail on all charges.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Norazalina Razali said bail should not be granted as the accused is facing another charge under the Immigration Act at the Petaling Jaya court.

She said the accused had the risk of escaping and according to the investigating officer, the victim’s mother tried to get him back to his country based on a flight ticket dated Dec 25 last year, which was eight days before his arrest.

Norazalina told the court that the accused and the victim’s mother had a customary marriage and during the incident, the mother was away at work and left the victim and her younger sibling under the care of the accused.

Meanwhile, lawyer Muhammad Syazwan Mohd Hasan, who represented the accused, said his client’s passport was in the process of verification.

- Bernama