Rapists succeed in obtaining lighter sentence for rape of 13-year-old
NST
KUALA LUMPUR: Three friends succeeded in convincing the High Court today to lessen their jail and whipping sentences for raping a then 13-year-old school girl at a hotel room here in late 2013.
Security guard Mohamad Amir Madzlan had his sentences reduced to 14 years jail and 10 rotan strokes; mailman Kamarul Akmal Remli and telephone installation contractor Shah Reza Zulkifli had their penalties cut down to eight years and eight rotan strokes respectively.
On Aug 7 last year following conviction by the Sessions Court here, Amir, 29, Kamarul Akmal, 25, and Shah Reza, 22, were each handed jail terms of 19, 11, and nine years, and rotan strokes of 16, 15 and 10 respectively.
Today, High Court judge Datuk Azman Abdullah allowed the trio’s appeal to reduce the sentences after hearing submissions by their lawyers Ananthan Vijayakumar, Alex Anton Netto and Zamri Ibrahim.
Zamri, who acted for Shah Reza, had argued that the original penalties were harsh in light of the three accused's ages when they took turns raping the girl at a hotel room at Dataran Dwitasik, Taman Sri Permaisuri, Cheras, between 2pm and 4.30pm on Oct 30, 2013.
However after handing out the new penalties, Azman sternly reminded the three that they should not commit a crime just because an opportunity to do so arises.
Azman said most people do not commit underaged rape because they fear the law and the punishment such crime entails.
Azman said this advice is of particular importance to Amir, who had a previous conviction over a rape incident at Cheras. Amir was sentenced to seven years' jail over that past offence.
Amir, Kamarul Akmal, and Shah Reza were convicted of rape under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which carried maximum custodial sentence of 20 years and mandatory whipping.
The accused trio's jail sentence began from their dates of arrest between Oct 30, 2013 and Sept 18, 2014.
