The 69-year-old man from a village in Petra Jaya had pleaded guilty to two counts framed under Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, Borneo Post reported.

On the first count, sessions court judge Iris Awen Jon sentenced the accused to 15 years in prison and four strokes of the cane for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl at his house on May 11, 2023.

In a separate court, judge Noorhisham Jaafar meted out a similar sentence to the accused for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl at the same location on Aug 20, 2023.

He ordered the sentence to run consecutively after the man completes his first 15-year sentence.

Both courts ordered the man, who was also placed under police supervision for two and three years, respectively, following his release, to undergo rehabilitation and counselling throughout his detention.

Deputy public prosecutors Chuah Kai Sheng and Marvind Kaliyani prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.