MUAR: "I haven't had the chance to meet my wife to apologise," was the response of a gardener when asked by Sessions Court Judge Abu Bakar Manat whether he had apologised to his wife.
The accused, Asuat Muda, 46, was charged for the crime of raping a student in a teacher's toilet at an abandoned school in Ayer Hitam, Batu Pahat, last month.
He pleaded guilty today in the Sessions Court after the charges were read to him by an interpreter.
Before handing down the 10-year prison sentence and five strokes of the cane, the judge asked the defendant if he had met his wife to apologise for his actions against the student at the school where he worked.
During the sentencing proceedings, Abu Bakar also reprimanded the accused for committing such a heinous act against the student.
"In your appeal, you express regret for the rape, but did you consider your wife and children before doing this?
"Moreover, you worked at the victim's school; you had a responsibility to protect the student. Sometimes, such acts take only a few minutes but the suffering endures for years," he said.
According to the charges, the father of five was accused of raping a Form 3 student in the toilet of an abandoned teacher's quarters at a secondary school in Ayer Hitam, Batu Pahat, at 3.30 pm on July 24.
The defendant was charged under Section 376 (1) of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum imprisonment of 20 years and caning.
The facts of the case reveal that the victim had gone to the abandoned quarters to meet her boyfriend when she encountered the accused.
He asked the victim's boyfriend to leave and stayed with the student instead.
Shortly afterward, the accused forced the victim into the toilet, and her attempt to escape was thwarted by the defendant.
After the assault, the victim reported the incident to the school and lodged a police report at the Ayer Hitam Police Station on August 1. The accused was arrested the following day.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Danial Munir, requested a sentence that reflects the severity of the crime and its profound impact on the victim.
The court sentenced the accused to 10 years in prison starting from August 2, five strokes of the cane, and ordered him to undergo counselling during his sentence and one year of police supervision upon release.