Filipino gets 10 years, 4 strokes for rape

Hasbi (right) escorted from court

KOTA KINABALU: A 19-year-old Filipino waiter was sent to prison for 10 years and ordered to get four strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to raping a 16-year-old local girl.

Hasbi Dani, who was brought before Sessions Court Judge Caroline Bee Majanil for trial, changed his pleas and admitted to committing the offence at the bushes in front of the public park in Likas Bay near here at 10pm on Nov 26, 2010.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Afzan Abd Kahar in presenting the facts of the case, told the court that the girl was waiting for a bus when an unknown man grabbed her by her neck from behind and dragged her into the bushes.

The man, later identified as Hasbi, threatened her not to scream and hit her abdomen and slapped her repeatedly until she passed out. According to the victim, when she regained her consciousness, she found her trousers had been pulled down to her knees.

Afzan said two of the girl's acquaintances who heard her cries for help went to the said place and found Hasbi on top of her trying to strangle her.

Hasbi tried to flee when he realised their presence but the duo managed to nab him. The girl, identified Hasbi during a police identification parade as the man who had raped her. Hasbi who was not represented, requested for a lenient sentence, saying he had repented.

10-year old girl abducted and molested

The family of a 10-year-old girl, who was allegedly molested after being abducted from her school, claims the school failed to keep security tight in Kuala Lumpur.

The girl's father, known only as Mohamad, said he wanted to lodge a complaint with the Education Ministry.

In the 8.15am incident on Monday, the 48-year-old technician claimed his daughter had gone out from the classroom to go to the toilet.

“A man wearing a cap suddenly entered the toilet and grabbed her.

“He took her with him and climbed over the school's back wall,” claimed Mohamad, a father of three.

He alleged the man, in his 20s, had tied the girl's mouth and used a sarong cloth to carry her over the wall.

“After that, he rode off with her on his motorcycle to some bushes nearby.

“He then molested my daughter there,” said Mohamad, adding that the man fled after hearing noises which sounded like police sirens.

Mohamad said the teachers at the school noticed the girl was missing at about 9am and asked the school's ustaz (religious teacher) “whether the girl had been taken away by spirits”.

“When the ustaz told them no, only then did they try to search for her outside of the school.

“Later, a teacher saw my daughter walking back to the school from the bushes,” he said.

Mohamad said the teachers should have called the police upon realising that the girl was missing.

“My daughter is traumatised by the incident.

“She feels embarrassed every time other children look at her,” said Mohamad, who lodged a report at a police station in Ampang Park.

City CID Chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ku Chin Wah confirmed receiving the report.

He added that the case was being investigated under Section 354 of the Penal Code for outraging of modesty.

He also urged those who have information on the case to contact the nearest police station.

By YUEN MEIKENG

10 women raped every day in Malaysia

Sexual violence has reached epidemic levels

All Women’s Action Society (Awam) notes with concern  The Malay Mail’s front page story (May 19) on the alarming rate of sex crimes statistic saying that 10 women become victims of rape every day and that in average every two-and-a-half-hours one woman gets raped, according to latest statistics released by Bukit Aman.

However, we’d like to add that while these police statistics are alarming, they don’t convey the true scale of the crime. Applying the general rule of thumb that only one in 10 cases of rape is reported, the more accurate picture is approximately one rape happens every 15 minutes in this country.

This means that each year in Malaysia, the number of victims are enough to fill Bukit Jalil stadium to capacity. If we include other sexual crimes such as incest and harassment, experienced not just by women alone but also the transgendered and  people of all ages, the numbers would easily double.

According to the 2010 Malaysia Millennium Development Goals report, Malaysia ranks among the highest in the world for reported cases of rape.

Violence has reached epidemic levels in this country. It is a widespread social, development and public health issue that needs to be radically addressed and dealt with.

Prior to this report, these statistics were classified as ‘sulit’ and withheld by the police, suggesting a sweep-under-the carpet mentality which betrays a resistance to openly and seriously tackling this issue. Similarly, the ambitious Government Transformation Programme and National Key Result Area to reduce crime makes no mention of reducing sexual crimes, betraying perhaps a disconnect with the reality of that sexual violence is huge dimension of crime in Malaysia.

The pitifully low rate of prosecution of 162 rapes in 2009 also suggests that our court system is also failing. Meanwhile, the Women’s ministry is virtually silent on tackling issues of sexual violence. Rape is a crime that is seemingly committed with impunity, where perpetrators escape the law and get off scot free.

We need a national strategy to deal with sexual crimes, which includes the involvement of all agencies such as service providers, the judiciary, the police, and medical staff. Prevention strategies which promote education, awareness of gender equality and securing women’s rights are long-term enabling environment for reducing this crime. We need to approach this epidemic with the guts, the will and the resources to truly eradicate sexual crimes.

News was lifted from FMT The writer Ho Yock Lin acting president of All Women’s Action Society (Awam)

Rais vs blogger: Case management on May

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today set May 6 for case management of the defamation suit brought by Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim against political analyst cum blogger Ahmad Mutalib Mohamed Daud.

Justice Amelia Tee Hong Geok Abdullah set the date in chambers.

Rais filed the suit via Messrs Shahabudin & Rozima on Feb 10 after four articles he regarded as libellous, dated Jan 1, Jan 3, Jan 5 and Jan 7, were uploaded by Ahmad Mutalib on the Sabahkini weblog, at http://sabahkini.net.


Ahmad Mutalib, a blogger who provides independent news via his weblog, has his registered address in Kota Kinabalu.

In his statement of claim, Rais had stated that certain words which appeared in the articles were malicious and defamatory of him.

He said the articles had gravely injured him personally and his professional reputation nationally and internationally, where he had suffered considerable embarrassment, distress and damage.

He also stated that the articles were absurd and wicked in misrepresentation of his character and office.

Rais is claiming general, special, aggravated and exemplary damages.

He is also seeking an injunction to compel Ahmad Mutalib to remove all the libellous words and passages in the articles.

Rais was represented by Norhani Nordin.

- Bernama