Mum of teen pursuing compensation from ‘finger rapist’

The mother of the teenage girl who was impregnated by the semen-smeared finger of a 61-year-old man, wants the acquitted rapist to pay compensation and maintenance to her daughter, The Star reported today. The report said that the 51-year-old mother has sought legal help to pursue the RM40,000 compensation awarded by the Sessions Court which convicted Bunya Jalong in 2013. He was then convicted of four counts of raping the underage girl at a hotel in Sibu in 2011. She was 14 at the time of the incident. The girl became pregnant and gave birth to a son. DNA test showed Bunya was the biological father of the child. The English daily report stated that the girl’s mother, a civil servant, also wants to file a suit for monthly maintenance. “I want to pursue the RM40,000 ordered by the Sessions Court and High Court,” she was quoted as saying at the Stampin PKR service centre in Kuching yesterday. “I also want Bunya to take responsibility for his actions and pay maintenance for the child.” The mother also said that she was looking after the three-year-old boy since her daughter, now 18, was still studying. The Star report added that a legal team led by state PKR vice-chairman See Chee How would assist the girl’s mother on a pro bono basis. It said that last year, the High Court dismissed Bunya’s appeal against the conviction, varied the imprisonment sentences and ordered him to pay the compensation. However, he was acquitted on May 7 by the Court of Appeal, which ruled that the man could not be convicted based on the present legal definition of rape, which covers only penile penetration. The case became known as “finger rape” because Bunya inserted his semen-smeared fingers into her. The May 7 court decision is unclear on whether the compensation still had to be paid to the victim. – June 11, 2015.