KUCHING, Oct. 28 -- The Sessions Court here has sentenced a soldier with the rank of lance corporal to a total of 34 years' jail and 14 strokes of the rotan for two counts of raping his wife's niece, who was then 12 years old, in 2023.

Judge Iris Awen Jon convicted the 29-year-old following a full trial with both charges framed under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code.

For the first charge, he was sentenced to 16 years behind bars and six strokes of the rotan, while for the second charge, he received 18 years' imprisonment and eight strokes.

Iris ordered both sentences to run concurrently from the date of his remand on September 20, 2024, effectively amounting to 18 years' imprisonment.

She also ordered the accused to undergo rehabilita...