MUAR: "We don't want to see our father anymore. He has traumatised us, made us fearful and hateful towards him. We feel disgusted by his actions towards us."
This was part of a letter written by two siblings aged 11 and 14 years old, victims of physical sexual assault by their father.
The letter was read in front of Sessions Court judge Sayani Mohd Nor before the court sentenced their father to 27 years in jail and 13 strokes of the cane.
During the proceeding, the accused pleaded guilty to two counts, and only nodded when the charge under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code and Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 was read to him.
The 45-year-old, who works as a tile installer, was charged with molesting and raping two of his daughters between 2.30pm and 4pm on Aug 28 and in April this year at their home in Batu Pahat.
The case came to light when the victims' mother reported the crimes to the police after one daughter witnessed the father raping her sister upon returning home from school. The younger sibling, who was also molested, saw the attack through a window and heard her sister calling for help.
In the report, the victim said she was raped twice in less than three hours while lying in the living room of the house.
After noticing the presence of one of his children, the accused stopped the act but 'resumed' a few hours later. The victim remained silent out of fear.
Their mother, who had returned from work at 5.30pm saw her two daughters in a state of sadness and distress, then then asked about the situation.
After disclosing the incident, a police report was lodged. The victims were then brought to Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital on the same day for treatment, where a medical examination confirmed the rape.
The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Danial Munir, while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
Earlier, the prosecution told the court that a heavy punishment should be imposed on the accused for the serious offence he committed.
"If you look at the facts of the case, the rape happened in a short period and the accused has no feelings of compassion or remorse for his actions.
"As a father, the accused should protect the children and not treat them in such a way that this incident left an impact on the victims," he argued.
After hearing the arguments and appeals of the accused, the court sentenced him to 20 years in prison and 10 strokes of the cane for rape, and seven years and three strokes of the cane for the case of physical sexual assault.
The court decided that the prison sentences would run concurrently, starting from the date of the defendant's detention on Aug 29.
At the same time, the court ordered the defendant to undergo counselling while in detention and to be under police supervision for two years upon completion of the prison term, following Sections 26 and 27 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.