KUALA LUMPUR:A father was charged in the Ampang Sessions Court here today with 41 counts of committing sexual crimes, including incest and unnatural sex against his daughter between January and October this year.

In a two-hour proceeding today, the 42-year-old man, who runs a cleaning business, claimed trial to all charges after they were read out through the court interpreter before Judge Norhazani Hamzah.

"I plead not guilty" was the reply given by the father of five when asked to enter a plea for every single charge.

He was charged with 14 counts of committing incest against his daughter, aged 15 years and 11 months, at his house in Bukit Antarabangsa here between January and October this year.

The charge under Section 376A of the Penal Code carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping upon conviction.

He was also charged with 18 counts of committing unnatural sex against the girl at the same place and during the same period of time.

For that, he was charged under Section 377C of the Penal Code, which was read together with Section 16(1) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum of 30 years in jail and whipping, if convicted.

The man was also charged with nine counts of committing physical sexual harassment on the girl, who is his child from a previous marriage, at the same place and during the same period of time.

The court did not allow bail and set Dec 17 for case remention and appointment of lawyer.

It is learnt that the man will be charged with another nine counts of sexual crimes tomorrow.

Last Friday, Ampang Jaya police chief ACP Mohamad Farouk Eshak said the rape incident had come to light after the police detained the victim at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) on Nov 1.

"The teenager was actually detained for attempting to leave the city, which is currently under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), without a travel permit.

"Upon questioning, we got to know of the matter and that the victim was actually attempting to escape to her mother's home in Kedah," he said.

-- BERNAMA