SIBU: A 60-year old man has been sentenced to 10 years' jail and 12 strokes of the rotan by the Sessions Court on Tuesday (April 12), after he pleaded guilty to three counts of raping a disabled minor.

       The accused, who was a neighbour of the then 13-year-old victim at a longhouse here, was charged under Section 376 of the Penal Code for each of the three charges.

       According to the charge sheet which was read before Judge Marutin Pagan, the accused had raped the victim three times - once in November 2021 and twice in December 2021 - at the longhouse.

       The victim is a Welfare Department person-with-disability cardholder since 2016 as she is a slow learner.

       The matter came to light on March 27, 2022 when the victim's mother, 30, noticed that the victim had lost her appetite and had often vomited.

       She then asked her to do a pregnancy test. The result came back positive.

       Following a report lodged by the mother, the police arrested the man on April 1.