High Court slashes man’s rape sentence from 10 years to one, citing youth and rehabilitation

On August 25, the High Court in Kuantan reduced a man's 10-year rape sentence to one year, citing his youth, clean record and likelihood of rehabilitation, according to FMT. The 23-year-old was convicted of statutory rape against a 15-year-old student at a residential school in Kuantan in 2022. While the court upheld the conviction, Judicial Commissioner Samry noted that sentencing must be tailored to individual circumstances.

Samry highlighted that the victim's age made consent irrelevant under the law, but the evidence showed the accused posed no continuing risk. The revised sentence involves six months' jail and one stroke for the first charge, and one year's jail with one stroke for the second, with the sentences running concurrently for a total of one year. The man will also undergo rehabilitative counselling and two years of post-release supervision.