Rapist marrying victim: Shabudin blames media report

The man at the centre of the storm today, Datuk Shabudin Yahaya said his statement of allegedly supporting marriage between a rapist and his victim was taken out of context.

The Tasek Gelugor MP said the issue should be viewed from a positive aspect, especially when it involves the future of the victim and if there are mutual agreement between both parties.

He said his statement before this referred to the existing law that did not prohibit marriages at the age group that he had mentioned.

In a media statement, Shabudin said such marriage is not a back door to legalise a rape act.

"Rape is still a criminal offence and it is up to the police and court to determine action to be taken against the perpetrator.

"But in reality, there are many rape cases in the country that has been classified as statutory rape," he said in the statement.

He said in such cases, the families refuse to lodge police report and to aavoid further embarassment, they choose to marry the rapist and his victim.

"But such marriages need to obtain clearance from the syariah courts," he said.

He said from the religious point of view, the rapist can marry his victim, either before or after he serves his sentence.

During the debate on the Sexual Offences against Children Bill 2017 yesterday, Shabudin had said there was no issue with a rapist marrying his victim.

He had also said that children as young as nine years old can be married when they reached puberty, as long as their parents or their guardians seek permission from the Syariah court.

"But, in my debate I had explained that marriage and criminal act are two different matters," he said.

His comment met with criticism from various quarters including Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

Media's efforts to get a reaction from Shabudin were futile following his refusal to talk. However, he had issued a media statement to explain himself.