MELAKA, April 13 — A 36-year-old man who was arrested over the alleged rape of his teenage stepdaughter is expected to be charged at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court tomorrow.

Melaka police chief Datuk Zainol Samah said the suspect, who works as a swimming instructor, will face 12 counts of rape under Sections 376 (2) and 376 (1) of the Penal Code.

"The suspect will also be charged with 12 counts of sexual assault under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and eight counts of committing unnatural sex under Section 377 CA of the Penal Code,” he said in a statement today.

Zainol said the suspect’s wife, aged 40, who was also detained to assist in the investigation, will appear as a prosecution witness.

He said police investigations found that the teenager had been raped by her stepfather since 2020, and the incidents were believed to have occurred in their family home.

Last Sunday, the media reported that the police arrested the victim’s stepfather and mother at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 shortly after they arrived from Sabah to assist in the investigation of their daughter’s rape case, which led her to run away from home.

The teenager was found in Perak two weeks after she was reported missing. — Bernama