IPOH, Malaysia: A chef who kissed and molested his niece in her bedroom was sentenced in a sessions court here to five years' jail.

Judge Hashim Hamzah ordered the 54-year-old man to serve his sentence from the date of arrest on Dec 30, 2004, and exempted him from the whip because of his age.

The chef had earlier pleaded guilty to an amended charge of molesting the 14-year-old girl in Tanjung Rambutan on July 12, 2004, at 4pm.

According to the facts of the case, the girl had been staying at her aunt's house to care for the couple's young son who has Down Syndrome.

That afternoon, the girl had just finished bathing and was about to dress when her uncle entered the room and hugged her.

Kissing her, he pushed her onto the bed where he molested her. Afterwards, he warned her to not tell anyone about the incident.

On Tuesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Ishrakh Saad asked the court for a harsh sentence as cases of people preying on underaged girls were becoming rampant.

"Reports also show that at the time of the incident, the victim was immature and intellectually slow for her age. A harsh sentence would serve as a warning to others," he said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Charan Singh, in pleading for leniency, said the chef was a father of two and that his wife was forced to support the family alone since his arrest.