KUCHING: An unemployed man was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here for sexually abusing a teenage girl, resulting in her pregnancy and the birth of a baby boy two years ago.
The 25-year-old man pleaded guilty to one charge read out by an interpreter before Judge Musli Abdul Hamid.
He was accused of physically sexually abusing a 16-year-and-11-month-old girl in a rented room in Matang beginning January 2023, in violation of Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
Judge Musli also ordered the accused to pay RM2,000 in compensation to the victim.
The court allowed him to pay in monthly installments of RM500 from December 2025 until March 2026.
Failure to pay would result in an additional six months’ imprisonment.
According to court facts, the accused and the complainant, who were in a relationship at the time, had sexual intercourse in the rented room.
By May 2023, the complainant was confirmed seven months pregnant. She was advised by a clinic to file a police report to facilitate the registration and birth process of the baby.
The accused was arrested by police at the Matang rented room on July 6, 2023.
Investigations confirmed he had sexual intercourse with the complainant, which led to her pregnancy and the birth of a baby boy.
DNA tests by the Chemistry Department of Malaysia verified that the accused was the child’s biological father.
It was reported that the man, who now has a new girlfriend, refused to take responsibility for the child, preferring to face the court’s punishment instead.
Deputy public prosecutor Asmawi Nur Haqim Mokhtar prosecuted the case while the accused was unrepresented.
