Gardener Charged With Rape Molest Of Step Daughter

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A gardener was charged at the Pasir Mas Sessions Court today with five counts of raping and molesting his step-daughter at a house in Tanah Merah, Kelantan, between December 2018 and May this year.
The 58-year-old accused pleaded not guilty and claimed trial before Sessions Court judge Badrul Munir Mohd Hamdy.
According to the first charge, he was accused of touching his 12-year-old step-daughter's private parts in an 11pm incident at a house in Tanah Merah, in December 2018.
He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 that carries a maximum 20-year jail sentence and whipping if found guilty under Section 14 of the same Act.
The punishment was read together with Section 16 of the same Act that carries an additional maximum five years' jail and minimum two strokes of the cane for having a relationship of trust with the victim.
For the second to fifth charges, the accused was charged with raping the same victim, whereby law, religion, culture or customs forbid marriage due to their relationship.
The incidents allegedly occurred at the same location between January and April 2019, February 2020, April this year and lastly on May 12.
The accused was charged under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code that provides for imprisonment of between eight and 30 years and minimum 10 strokes of the cane.
DPP Hajarul Falenna Itah Abu Bakar prosecuted while the accused appeared unrepresented.
At the start of the proceeding, the accused appeared uncertain when the charges were read, forcing the judge to explain in the Kelantanese dialect.
Hajarul Falenna later applied to the court that no bail should be offered to the accused in interest of the victim's safety and that she is still in trauma.
The court granted the application and set July 18 for a re-mention of the case. - Mkini

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