Kuala lumpur: A 25-year-old man appeared in the Sessions Court today to face two charges of rape and physical sexual assault against his 16-year-old biological sister, incidents that reportedly occurred in January and June of the previous year. The accused entered a plea of not guilty to both charges when they were presented separately before Judge Mohd Zul Zakiqudin Zulkifli.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the first charge involved the accused, a hardware store worker, allegedly raping his sister at approximately 11 pm in Kampung Titian Baru in January. This charge falls under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code, which stipulates a prison sentence ranging from eight to 30 years and no fewer than 10 strokes of whipping upon conviction.

The second charge accuses the man of committing physical sexual assault against the same victim on June 21 at around 9 pm, at the same location. This charge is framed under Section 14(d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, and read in conjunction with Section 16(1) of the same Act. If convicted, it could result in imprisonment for up to 20 years and whipping, with an additional possible sentence of up to five years and a minimum of two strokes of whipping.

The court decided to deny bail for the accused and scheduled the case's next mention for August 2. The prosecution in this case was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Asymawi Ghazali, while the accused received legal representation from a lawyer provided by the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK).