M'sian monk, 53, rapes schoolgirl, 12, after telling her family he had a 'dream' to help them

A 53-year-old monk in Johor, Malaysia was sentenced to 15 years' jail and four strokes of the cane on Oct. 31 for raping a 12-year-old girl in 2021.

Pechimuthu Vethumalay had raped her in a plantation in Yong Peng, a town in the Batu Pahat district, reported The New Straits Times (NST). 

He'd done so after telling her family that he had a "dream" to help them improve their lives.

Took the girl to "perform ritual" but raped her

The court heard that Pechimuthu raped the victim, who was 12 at the time, at around 3pm on Sep. 28, 2021.

He'd earlier approached the girl's family and claimed that he had a "dream" that could help ease their hardships.

He also claimed he could "change [the girl's] fate", according to Malaysiakini.

Under the pretext of performing a ritual, he took the girl and brought her to a palm oil plantation where he raped her.

The girl later told her parents about the incident, and a police report was lodged.

Also ordered to undergo counselling and remain in police supervision

In his sentencing, Judge Harmi Thamri Mohamad said that Pechimuthu, who was unrepresented, had "failed to raise reasonable doubt" against the prosecution's case.

"There was no supporting evidence presented to substantiate or strengthen his defence, nor to raise any reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case. As such, a mere denial cannot be accepted as creating reasonable doubt," he said.

He ordered the sentence to take effect immediately. Incidentally, it happened to be Pechimuthu's birthday.

The court also ordered Pechimuthu to undergo counselling during his jail term, and to serve two years of police supervision after completing his sentence.

For his offence, he could have been jailed up to 30 years and caned.

Top photos via Harian Metro & Canva