Kindy owner convicted of raping 4-yr-old girl

Kindy owner convicted of raping 4-yr-old girl

Ewe Peng Lip being led out of the courtroom by two policemen (Photo by Charles Mariasoosay)By Priscilla Dielenberg

A kindergarten owner has been convicted of raping a four-year-old girl in Penang.

Ewe Peng Lip, 48, was sentenced to 20 years jail and 10 strokes of whippingby a Sessions Court in Georgetown on Tuesday.

Hewas convicted of raping the girl, who is now seven, at the pre-school in Bukit Dumbar between 8.10am and noon on a day between January and April in 2008.

The offence under Section 376(2)(e) of the Penal Code carries a jail term of between five and 30 years, and whipping.

Ewe was married with three children.

His counsel Datuk C.V. Prabhakaran, in asking for a light sentence, said his client was a first offender.

DPP Tan Guat Cheng pressed for a deterrent sentence, sayingEwehad taken advantage of the victim attending the kindergarten run by him and his wife.

"The victim suffered from trauma, and was still scared when she gave her testimony.

"The court should not compromise when it comes to rape cases, especially statutory rape where the victim was only four," she said.

After the sentence was pronounced, Prabhakaran sought stay of execution pending appeal to the High Court.

Judge Sitarun Nisa Abdul Aziz granted the application for stay but increased the RM10,000 bail to RM20,000 in one surety.

Published March 29 2011