Kelantan Top Cop Stands By Personal Opinion On Statutory Rape Cases

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This comes after his proposal to punish underage girls involved in statutory rape cases draws fire.
Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat today expressed regret if any party had been upset by his proposal. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Why should I apologise or withdraw the statement when it was merely my personal opinion, says Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat on his recent proposal to punish both parties in statutory rape cases
He insisted there was no need to retract his statement despite calls from various quarters.
“It is up to the government whether to take it into account or not.
“Even if it is not considered, it is not an issue as the home minister (Saifuddin Nasution Ismail) has said it was my personal view,” he said today in Kota Bharu, Bernama reported.
His statement had drawn controversy, with many saying underage girls were not mature enough and should not be punished for the offence.
Under the Penal Code, sexual intercourse with a child under 16 is rape, regardless of consent.
Yusoff had suggested that girls involved in “consensual” underage sex be charged alongside their partners.
He said his proposal is to send a clear warning to teenagers against being involved in sexual crimes.
He said girls are usually protected as victims under the Penal Code provision for rape, and under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
Yusoff’s remarks were made when he was asked to comment on the increase in cases of rape and sexual crimes involving teenagers in Kelantan since last year.
He explained that his proposal was based on police investigations in Kelantan, which found that most statutory rape cases involved consensual acts between minors, raising questions of fairness when only one party is prosecuted in court.
He assured today that he would withdraw the proposal if it had led to confusion or appeared insensitive. He expressed regret if any party had been upset by his proposal. - FMT

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