Welder's sentence for rape enhanced by high court

The High Court on Tuesday enhanced the sentence of a welder for the rape of a 15-year-old student after an appeal by the prosecution. Judge Datuk Zamani Abdul Rahim imposed a jail term of 15 years and 10 strokes of the cane on M. Retnam, 33, who was penalised with a jail term of seven years and three strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court in July last year. "The sentence imposed on you was light. You should have been charged with four offences instead of just rape," said the judge when he set aside the Sessions Court's penalty. He ordered Retnam to serve the sentence from July 3 last year, the date of sentencing by the lower court. Retnam was found guilty of raping the student in the jungle near the Pondok Upeh Mara Junior Science College in Balik Pulau near here at 2.30 pm on March 1 two years ago. He had posed as a policeman and asked to see the identification cards of the student and her boyfriend, who did not have them then. Retnam instructed the boyfriend to go home and get his identification card and, when the latter had gone, he forced the student at knife-point to ride on his motorcycle to the jungle where he raped her. Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Fatimah Talib appeared for the prosecution while Retnam was not represented by counsel.