THE Ipoh High Court today sentenced Tronoh assemblyman Paul Yong to 13 years in prison and ordered for him to be caned twice by for raping his Indonesian maid.

High Court judge Abdul Wahab Mohamed found Yong guilty of rape under section 376(1) of the penal code. The law allows for punishment of up to 20 years in jail and whipping.

Yong, a former state executive councillor, was charged with sexually assaulting the woman in his house in Meru Desa Park, between 8.15pm and 9.15pm, on July 9, 2019.

He had denied the charge, claiming the allegations were a political conspiracy.

During the course of his trial, Yong resigned from DAP to turn Independent but later joined Parti Bangsa Malaysia.

The judge allowed an application from Yong’s lawyer Rajpal Singh for the sentence to be stayed pending appeal.

Yong was granted bail at RM30,000 in one surety and on the condition that he surrenders his passport to the court.

Perak prosecution director Azlina Rasdi led the prosecution with the assistance of deputy public prosecutors Liyana Zawani Mohd Radzi and Fitri Sadaruddin. – July 27, 2022.