TAWAU: A 75-year-old Australian man was sentenced to five years in prison by the Sessions Court here, today, for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in May last year.
Judge Rosli Ahmad imposed the sentence on Jack Wong after finding that the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case at the end of the case.
The court ordered the sentence to begin immediately.
According to the charges, the accused, who was a Malaysian before obtaining Australian citizenship, is accused of physically sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl (at the time of the incident) at a house in Taman Pick Yard, Jalan Mawar near here, between 7.20am and 8am, on May 20 last year.
For the offence, the charge is presented in accordance with Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 which provides for a prison sentence not exceeding 20 years and whipping.
During the proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Suhaimi Suriana urged the court to impose a severe sentence, considering the seriousness of the offence, public interest, and the trauma suffered by the victim.
He also objected to the defence's request for a stay of execution, citing Wong's high risk of fleeing due to his Australian citizenship.
However, the court granted the application by defence lawyer Mark Rosaidey Mohd Amin for a stay of execution, maintaining the existing bail conditions.
The trial, which began on Jan 3, featured testimony from two prosecution witnesses, while the defence called only Wong himself.