SIBU: A 68-year-old man, who is a shaman, was arrested by the police for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl.
Sibu District Police Chief ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit when confirming this in his statement on Saturday (Apr 10) said the alleged offence happened on March 14 in a budget hotel in the city while performing traditional treatment on the child.
Early on, the suspect treated the girl’s 33-year-old mother. She was said to be physically weak.
“The mother was accompanied by the father who also brought their two daughters.
“After the treatment, the suspect then told the mother that her daughter (victim) was possessed by an evil spirit and needed treatment,” Stanley said.
During the treatment, the shaman took the girl into the bathroom to be bathed without being supervised. The parents were prohibited from witnessing the procedure due to taboo set by the shaman.
“The suspect spent 15 minutes with the girl in the bathroom. It is believed that the shaman used the opportunity to commit sexual assault on the girl.
“After the treatment, the girl’s father gave RM50 as wages to the shaman. He did not know what really happened to his daughter,” said Stanley.
What the suspect did came to light when the victim told her aunt about it. The aunt in turn passed on the information to the victim’s mother.
“Shocked by the victim’s story, the mother lodged a police report on April 7, and based on that the suspect was arrested at a shared house in Sibu at 1.30am on April 8,” said Stanley, who added that the victim had been taken to Sibu Hospital for medical examination.
In the mean while the suspect is remanded in police custody.
The case will be investigated under Section 14 (a) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017.
