KOTA KINABALU: The trial of a soldier charged with raping his own daughter was ordered to proceed to the defence stage after the Sessions Court found merit in the prosecution’s case.
Sessions Court judge Elsie Primus ordered the defence to call its witnesses when the trial commences on January 25, 2021. Defence counsel Dato Sri Rakhbir Singh said the defence would be calling three witnesses.
The 37-year-old accused was arrested on April 21 at 1.45am after a report was lodged against him. The arrest was made after the 13-year-old victim confided in a teacher from a school in Penampang, who then brought the victim to a hospital in Likas. It was alleged that the victim, the eldest of five siblings, was raped at least twice a month by her father since she was 10.
It was believed that the purported rape would occur when the victim’s mother and siblings were asleep, or when the mother was not at home. It was also believed that the last incident occurred on April 15, when the mother and siblings were asleep in another room.
If found guilty under Section 376 (3) of the Penal Code, the accused faces imprisonment of up to 30 years with whipping of not less than 10 strokes.
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