M'sia delivery man, 20, sentenced to 240 hours of community service after raping girl under 14

A 20-year-old Malaysian delivery man has been ordered to perform 240 hours of community service within 12 months after pleading guilty to raping a girl who was under 14 at the time of the incident.

Yarits Dzikri Yunus received the sentence from the Sessions Court Judge on Thursday (Nov. 20), after the court considered the defence’s mitigation plea, the facts of the case, aggravating circumstances, and a social report from the Community Welfare Department (JKM), reported Sinar Harian.

Met the victim via Telegram

Yarits raped the victim, who was 13 years and 10 months old, at about 3:30pm on Aug. 22 in a store near a residence in Kampung Ulu Beranang.

The pair became acquainted after Yarits joined a Telegram group that displayed sexual content involving the victim and advertised sexual services.

The defence said Yarits assumed she was above 18 as the group required members to be adults.

Court sentencing

Yarits’ lawyer sought the minimum penalty, arguing that his client was a young offender with no prior record and that a custodial sentence was unnecessary.

He said Yarits had cooperated fully and entered an early guilty plea.

The Deputy Public Prosecutor Norazihah Asmuni, however, requested a sentence that reflected the seriousness of the offence, stressing that the victim was a child and that sexual crimes involving minors are on the rise.

Norazihah maintained the guilty plea should not reduce the sentence in cases involving children, particularly under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which provides for up to 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping.

Additional conditions imposed

Apart from the community service requirement, the court imposed 10 additional conditions, including reporting monthly to the nearest police station, attending counselling sessions, adhering to activity schedules set by a community welfare officer and depositing a RM5,000 (S$1,600) bond with a family surety, according to The Star.

During the proceedings, a JKM officer presented the accused’s social and moral assessment during the hearing as well.

Yarits may face up to one year in prison if he does not furnish the bond.

Failure to complete the community service and the conditions set may also result in Yarits being brought back before the court and punished under the original sentencing provisions.

Top images via Canva, See Hua Daily News