PASIR MAS, July 20 — A mechanic was sentenced to 20 years in prison and seven strokes of the rotan by the Sessions Court today after pleading guilty to two charges of raping and robbing a 15-year-old girl in Tumpat last month.
Muhammad Faryzuan Aiman Mat Yatim, 23, admitted to both charges after they were read out in front of Judge Zulkpli Abdullah.
For the first charge, the accused was charged with raping the teenager and had previously caused injury to the victim under Section 376(2)(a) of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum prison sentence of 30 years and whipping.
The man was also charged with robbing the victim's handphone while armed with a wooden stick. The charge was framed under Section 392 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 397 of the same code, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to 14 years and a fine or whipping.
Both offences were committed in a bushy area in Kampung Mesira, Palekbang, near Tumpat at 7.40am on June 17.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Aisyha Na’ilah Harizan requested a commensurate sentence in light of the public interest, the seriousness of the offence, and the trauma experienced by the victim.
"The victim suffered serious injuries. including several fractures to her facial bones, eye sockets, and nose, as well as losing teeth due to being beaten before being raped," she said.
Siti Aisyha added that the accused also took advantage of the victim's injured state before raping her and then sold the stolen mobile phone for RM35.
Faryzuan, who was unrepresented, appealed for a lighter sentence on the grounds that he had a wife and a young child.
The court sentenced him to 15 years in prison and five strokes of the cane for the charge of rape, as well as five years in prison and two strokes of the cane for the charge of robbery, and ordered both prison sentences to run consecutively from the date of arrest on July 7.
In addition, the court ordered the accused to undergo rehabilitation counselling throughout the period of imprisonment and to be placed under police supervision for three years after completing the prison sentence.
