SEREMBAN: A former bank officer has been sentenced to 10 years in jail by the Sessions Court here after he pleaded guilty to trafficking his wife for sexual exploitation.
Judge Datin Surita Budin ordered the 35-year-old man to serve his sentence from Oct 30, the date of his arrest.
He was charged with committing the offence at a hotel in Kuala Pilah at around 1.30pm that day.
He was charged under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007 read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
Offenders can be punished with a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine if found guilty.
According to the facts of the case, the accused charged clients RM1,000 per hour for sex with his wife.
He reportedly did this to pay off his debts.
A police probe found that the accused had been sexually exploiting his wife in this way since July.
The couple was detained in a police operation at the hotel on the day in question.
In mitigation, the accused appealed for a light sentence although he knew he had committed a serious offence.
"I am currently serving a seven-year jail term with three strokes of the rotan for another offence and I hope the court can give me a similar punishment so it can run concurrently.
"I also want my wife to be released from the protection centre so she can go back to her family in Sabah," he said.
Deputy public prosecutor Hafizah Zainul Hashimi urged the court to impose a sentence commensurate with the crime.
"The public's interest here is greater than that of the accused.
"He has not only exploited his wife for sexual purposes but (also committed) a human rights violation," she said.
On Nov 21, the man was ordered to serve seven years in jail and be given three strokes of the rotan by the Sessions Court after pleading guilty to prostituting his wife and living off immoral earnings.
Judge Rushan Lutfi Mohamad said at the time that although the accused pleaded guilty, public interest had to be considered.
The offender was charged under Section 372A(1) of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to 15 years with whipping and a fine upon conviction.
