Tawau father jailed 13 years after killing man linked by DNA evidence to daughter’s alleged rape

The Tawau High Court sentenced an Indonesian father of six to 13 years’ jail over the death of a compatriot whom his daughter had accused of raping her. — Pexels pic

By Malay Mail

First Published: Thursday, 01 Oct 2026 12:56 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — An Indonesian father of six has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for causing the death of a compatriot after his 12-year-old daughter said the man had raped her, with subsequent forensic tests linking the victim to the alleged assault.

The 30-year-old pleaded guilty at the High Court in Tawau to an alternative charge over the death of the 33-year-old man in August 2024, the New Straits Times (NST) reported.

He had initially been charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, but the charge was later amended to one under Section 304(a), which covers culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Judicial Commissioner Steve Ritikos ordered the 13-year prison term to run from September 2, 2024, the date of the accused’s arrest.

The court also ordered that he be referred to the Immigration Department after completing his sentence.

According to the facts of the case, the incident began after the accused’s daughter, who was 12 at the time, told her mother that the victim had raped her while she was returning from a social gathering on the night of August 31, 2024.

After learning of the allegation, the accused armed himself with a parang and went looking for the man.

He later chased the victim to a nearby chicken coop and slashed him several times.

The victim died sometime between 7.30pm on August 31 and noon the following day at an unnumbered house in Tawau.

Forensic analysis by the Chemistry Department Malaysia found the victim’s DNA on clippings taken from the girl’s fingernails. 

The DNA profile from semen found on her underwear also matched that of the victim, according to the facts presented in court.

Police arrested the accused at his home on September 2, 2024, and seized the parang used in the attack.

An offence under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years and a fine.

Deputy public prosecutor Nur Nisla Abd Latif appeared for the prosecution, while lawyer Jhessery P. Kang represented the accused.