Bandar Seri Begawan - A 33-year-old police personnel was sentenced in the Intermediate Court to 18 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane after he was found guilty of three charges of raping his daughter in three separate incidents respectively when the victim was seven years old in 2007, in 2010, and in August 2011.

The court heard that the first rape incident occurred when she was seven years old at the Seria Police Barracks in Kuala Belait, 10 years old at Lamunin Police Barracks in Tutong and the most recent rape incident was when the victim was 11 years old at a house in Kg Panaga, Kuala Belait.

The case was reported to the police some time in August 2011. The investigations were then carried out by the Women and Children Abuse Investigation Unit, Criminal Investigations Department.

The defendant had earlier denied all three rape charges against him including a charge of sodomy. A trial was held, whereby the prosecution had called eight witnesses to prove its case.

On June 2, 2012, the Intermediate Court ruled that the prosecution has made out a prima facie case against the defendant for all the three rape charges but ruled that there was no prima facie case made out against the defendant for the sodomy charge.

Judge Lim Siew Yen was satisfied with the testimony of the prosecution witnesses which included the victim and said that her evidence was corroborated by the victim's medical evidence and the victim's psychologist report. The defendant was therefore convicted after the trial.

The defendant was represented by Defence Counsel Rozaiman Rahman and Deputy Public Prosecutor Pg Hjh Hana Molina bin Pg Hj Mohamad for the Public Prosecutor.