KOTA KINABALU: Two fathers in Sabah have been jailed by the Sessions Court here in separate cases of sexual abuse, one against his daughter and the other his stepdaughter.
In the first case, a 54-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment and three strokes of the cane after he was found guilty of committing two counts of sexual abuse against his 12-year-old daughter.
For the first charge, the man received 10 years and a stroke of the cane for committing the offence in the evening of Oct 3, 2022, at a house in a residential area here.
He received another 10 years' jail plus two strokes of the cane for committing the same offence against the same victim between April and May 2022 at the same place.
The court ordered the man to serve the jail sentence consecutively.
In the second case, a 52-year-old lorry driver was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment and two strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to committing the same offence against his 13-year-old stepdaughter at 7.30pm on Nov 28 this year, by the roadside of a junction to a village in Papar.
Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan convicted both accused under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years, and whipping, upon conviction.
Both accused were also ordered to be placed under police supervision for two years after serving their respective jail sentences.
In handing down the sentence, the court considered public interest and several other factors.
The judge noted that cases like these were on the rise.