Guilty Plea Ends Trial as Sessions Court Jails Man 10 Years Over Sexual Crimes Against Child
KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — A Sessions Court today sentenced a 49-year-old unemployed man to 10 years’ imprisonment and two strokes of the cane after he admitted to charges of raping and committing physical sexual assault against an eight-year-old girl in Cheras last year.
The sentence was imposed by Judge Mohd. Kafli Mohd. Che Ali after Hilmee Kusnan changed his plea to guilty on the opening day of his trial. The accused had previously denied both charges.
According to the charges, Hilmee raped the victim at about 10.30am on Sept. 4, 2025, at an apartment in Cheras. He was also charged with committing physical sexual assault against the same child at the same location and time. The girl lived in the same apartment block but on a different floor.
The rape charge was brought under Section 375(g) of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 376(2)(e), which carries a prison term of between 10 and 30 years together with whipping. The second charge was framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and whipping.
The prosecution’s statement of facts stated that the accused pulled the child out of a lift after it stopped on the fourth floor of the apartment building. Only the accused and the victim were inside the lift at the time.
He then took the child into his apartment and into one of the rooms before committing the offences.
After the incident, Hilmee escorted the victim back to the lift, handed her RM3 and warned her not to tell anyone before instructing her to return home.
The girl later prepared for school and disclosed the incident to a friend while waiting for the school bus. The friend’s mother informed the victim’s mother, who subsequently brought the child to hospital for examination.
In mitigation, defence counsel Dr. Mohammad Ismail Yunus asked the court to impose a lighter sentence, submitting that it was his client’s first offence. He also requested that whipping not be imposed because the accused suffers from diabetes.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Noor Syakira Aliana Alias urged the court to hand down a severe sentence, citing the victim’s age and the lasting trauma caused by the offences. She also noted that the accused and the victim were strangers before the incident.
After accepting the guilty plea, the court sentenced Hilmee to 10 years’ imprisonment and two strokes of the cane.
