Single mother gets six strokes of rotan and 6 months jail for prostitution

Single mother gets six months jail, six strokes of rotan for prostitution

FITRI NIZAM
New Straits Times27 September 2018



KUALA TERENGGANU: A single mother was today sentenced by the Syariah High Court to six months jail and to receive six strokes of rotan under the Syariah law for prostitution. 

However, Judge Rosdi Harun instructed that the caning of the 30-year old woman to take place at the prison she was being detained. 

The woman was given 14 days to make an appeal after which the caning sentence would be carried out in the prison. 

When reading out the sentences, the judge noted his disappointment on the attitude of the woman who did not show any remorse throughout the proceedings. 

The woman was charged under Section 25 of the Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (Takzir) (Terengganu), 2001 for prostitution. 

The accused who worked as a part-time batik canting was accused of committing the offence with a client at a hotel in the city between 11.20 pm and 11.45 pm on 17 Sept. Prosecution was led by Syarie prosecutor Khazmizan Abdullah while the accused was not represented. 

According to fact sheet, the accused was arrested by the district Syariah enforcement officers in room 507 at a hotel and among the items seized from the woman were condom, lubricant, bra and panties. The women had also received RM100 from her client as payment for sex on the same day she was arrested. 

The accused had told the court that she had to engage in prostitution because she needed money to cover her living costs and to look after her seven-year-old daughter who is being taken care by her sister in Klang, Selangor.

 This was the second Syariah case involving caning penalty heard at the Terengganu Syariah High Court this year with the first involving the public caning of a lesbian couple aged 22 and 32 years early this month. 

The couple, from Dungun in Terengganu and Kuantan in Pahang, each received six strokes of the rotan after pleading guilty under Section 30 of the Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (Takzir) (Terengganu), 2001 which was read together with Section 59 (1) of the same enactment, for musahaqah (sexual intercourse between two women). © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd