AMPANG: The Sessions court here today heard that "extreme stress" drove a 47-year-old labourer to molest a teenage girl last year.
The court was told this after Sessions Court judge found Palha Gurri, from Kampong Pandan Dalam, guilty of two charges of molesting the girl, aged 14 years and two months, under Section 354 of the Penal Code.
Palha was charged on Sept 30 last year with using criminal force to kiss the victim's cheeks and grope her breasts without her consent at a house in Kampong Pandan Dalam, Ampang Jaya, on Sept 22 last year, between 6 to 6.50pm.
He was also charged with inserting the finger of his left hand into the vagina of the victim between 7pm and 7.30pm the same day.
In appealing for a lighter sentence, the court heard the accused had to care for his large family, comprising seven members with his RM500 income as a labourer.
The court heard he was driven to commit his crimes against the young girl as he was under 'tekanan jiwa' (mental stress) due to financial problems.
For his crimes, Sessions Court judge Noradidah Ahmad sentenced Palha to eight months' jail for the first charge and 24 months' jail for the second charge.
"This court finds the accused guilty. Even though the defence said a prison term was not mandatory, when he (the accused) put his finger in the victim's vagina, he caused a tear in her...I find a fine is not suitable," Noradidah said.
She ordered both sentences to run concurrently from today.
Noradidah, however, granted a stay of execution pending appeal and set bail at RM15,000.
source: The Malay Mail
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