MUAR, June 15 — A man pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court, here today, to eight charges of committing physical sexual assault and raping his daughter, now aged 15, for the past three years.

Judge Abu Bakar Mamat then set July 16 for mention of the case for submission of the accused medical report, DNA and criminal records.

On the first charge, the 41-year-old man, who does odd jobs in his village for a living, was alleged to have committed physical sexual assault on his daughter, who was then 12 years-old, by touching parts of her body at a house in Parit Yusof, Semerah, in Batu Pahat, in 2020.

The charge is framed under Section 14 (a) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017, to be read together with Section 16 of the same law for committing an offence with a person in a relationship of trust.

The man, who has five children, faced imprisonment for up to 20 years and is also liable to whipping, if found guilty of committing physical sexual assault on the girl and a maximum sentence of five years in prison and whipping of not less than two strokes for committing the offence on his daughter.

On the second to the eighth count, he was charged with raping the girl at the same address, with the offence allegedly committed between October last year and this month.

The charge, framed under Section 376 (3) of the Penal Code for committing rape on a woman whose relationship to him is not permitted under the law, religion, custom or usage, to marry her, provides imprisonment for up to 30 years and shall also be punished with whipping of not less than 10 strokes, if found guilty.

Deputy public prosecutor Nur Sulehan Abd Rahman prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented. — Bernama