KUALA LUMPUR: A van driver who raped and impregnated his stepdaughter shed tears in the dock after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and two strokes of the rotan by the Sessions Court today.
Judge Tasnim Abu Bakar ordered the 59-year-old man to serve the jail sentence from Oct 11, the day he was charged.
She ruled that he must undergo rehabilitation counselling while in prison and be placed under a two-year police surveillance after his release.
Clad in a red chequered shirt while standing in the dock, the man often looked back at the public gallery where his wife and a daughter sat during proceedings.
He was charged with raping the girl who was aged 12 at 4pm at an apartment unit in Wangsa Maju on Sept 10 last year.
The offence under Section 375(g) of the Penal Code is punishable under Section 376(2)(d) provides a minimum 10 years jail and a maximum of 30 years and whipping.
The facts of the case read that a Kuala Lumpur Hospital medical officer made a report after treating the girl for irregular menstruation but found she was 19 weeks pregnant.
She revealed that she had been raped by her step father.
She said she wanted to be protected as she feared her family would find out about her pregnancy.
The girl gave birth and a results of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test showed that Mohan was the biological father to the baby and he had admitted to having sexual relations with her.
Deputy public prosecutor Siti Nursyuhada Abd Rauf asked the court to hand down an appropriate sentence as the victim was traumatised.
"Because of his acts, the victim gave birth to a baby out of wedlock. She was so ashamed of herself that she stopped schooling and had to undergo a long rehabilitation process after giving birth," she said.
The man, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency as he has health issues.
"I am the sole breadwinner of my family. My wife is disabled and our biological child is autistic.
"I apologise for my actions and I ask for a light sentence," he said.