KUALA TERENGGANU – A religious teacher with four wives and 11 children was sentenced to 10 years’ jail by the Sessions Court here, yesterday, for raping his 14-year-old student in Bukit Payong, Marang, five years ago.
“I am guilty and I am ready to serve my punishment. I feel sorry towards the girl (victim),” Shamsuddin Abd Rahman, 62, told the court during mitigation before sentencing by Sessions Court judge Che Mohd Zulkifly Jusoh.
The accused, a former Risda employee and a distant relative of the victim, now aged 19, had earlier pleaded guilty to raping her at 3pm at a house in Kampung Pak Madah on June 11, 2005.
Click here to find out more!Click here to find out more!
The court was told that the girl had visited a relative, and when she found the relative sleeping, she decided to go home, but was stopped at the door by the accused, who also happened to be there at the time.
The accused then started touching her before he lured her into a bedroom by offering her RM10 (S$4.25).
He then stripped and raped her.
Shamsuddin, who was represented by Mohd Asaari Salleh, was arrested a day after the victim lodged a police report on June 23, 2005.
Che Mohd Zulkifly ordered the sentence to run from yesterday.
“I have taken into account your old age as well as your guilty plea as it had the saved the court’s time.
“But you must take this as a lesson and the court hopes the years behind bars will make you repent. You are already old, a religious teacher at that.”
Both the accused and the victim’s families were in court, and at one point were even seen mingling with each other.-AsiaOne
