KOTA KINABALU: A young gardener was sentenced to four years in jail and one stroke of the cane for sexually assaulting his employer's daughter.
Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus meted out the sentence to Usdien Sipin, 21, after he pleaded guilty to committing the offence against the 13-year-old girl at noon on Aug 7 this year at a bedroom of a house in Inanam.
The offence was under Section 14 (a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 carries a jail term of up to 20 years, and whipping, upon conviction.
The court also ordered Usdien to undergo counselling while serving the sentence and to be placed under police supervision for three years upon completing his imprisonment.
During mitigation, Usdien requested leniency, stating, among other things, that he came from a very rural area in Sabah and had only studied up to Standard Six.
Earlier, the court heard that on the day of the incident, Usdien, who was performing cleaning work at the victim's house, entered the victim's room and sexually harassed her.
The girl then reported the incident to her mother, who subsequently informed her husband (the victim's father).
The victim's father took her to the hospital, where a medical report revealed an old tear on her hymen.
Following a police report, Usdien was arrested.