The alleged rape of his niece, who is now 13, took place on 331 occasions, between January 2010 and March 2014.

The prosecution also charged him on three more counts of raping the same niece last month. The offences were all said to have occurred at a flat in Ampang.

He was charged under Section 376B of the Penal Code and was represented by lawyer Muhammad Amin Abdullah while DPP Nadiah Malek Fauzie and Raihanah Razak prosecuted.

The man, who was clad in a T-shirt and jeans, appeared calm as the court officials read out each of the 334 charges. He pleaded not guilty to all of them.

With the time taken to read each charge, Sessions Court Judge Mohamad Kamil Nizam allowed the accused to sit down while the charges were being read out to him.

“You may sit down if you feel tired,” Kamil said.

Besides the 334 rape charges, the man is also accused of raping another niece, who is now 17, on 229 occasions and attempted rape of a third niece who is just 10 years old.

The prosecution requested the judge not to allow bail as the case was a public interest case.

“There is also an established relationship between the accused and the victim, hence the prosecution is concerned that the victims will be disturbed if the accused is allowed bail,” DPP Raihanah said.

Amin however, argued for bail to be allowed on the basis that the accused was recovering from an injury to his leg due to an accident and needed to go for regular medical check-ups.

Judge Kamil denied bail, saying that it was due to the number of charges and the nature of the charges against the accused.

“This shows a family relationship between the accused and the victim. Based on these facts, if the accused is released on bail, it could disturb the victim and affect the prosecution’s case,” he ruled.

The case is set for mention on March 13.