Van rape suspect may be serial paedophile
<!--start byline & share panel --> <!--byline --> 2010/08/01
By Lee Shi-Ian
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KUALA LUMPUR: A van driver who is suspected of raping a 10-year-old schoolgirl on Monday may be a serial paedophile, police think. A source revealed that the 51-year-old had allegedly raped the schoolgirl on several occasions. She had been his passenger for at least three years.
Two other 10-year-old girls are also believed to have been raped by the suspect, who has been vilified by an outraged public. "The three girls will be sent to the University Malaya Medical Centre next week for a thorough examination to ascertain how long ago they had been raped," the source said.
One of the girls is the man's niece and not his adopted daughter, as has been reported. It was alleged that she had been sexually abused for quite a long while. Police are preparing to widen their scope of investigation as the suspect ferried schoolgirls from other schools as well.
The man, who has three daughters, is believed to have been a van driver ferrying schoolgirls for at least 10 years. Police do not discount the possibility that there may be other victims and are appealing to those who had been sexually assaulted by the suspect to come forward.
The suspect lives with his wife and children in Jalan Klang Lama. His niece also lives with them but it is unclear where the suspect sexually assaulted her. Police have yet to speak to the three girls at length as they are undergoing trauma counselling. Though the suspect runs a school van service, checks revealed that he was not registered with the Malaysian School Bus Operators Association.
The suspect was arrested on Monday afternoon after a kindergarten teacher allegedly saw him raping the 10-year-old schoolgirl in the van, which was parked in front of a kindergarten in Jalan Othman. The teacher attempted to rescue the girl and a struggle with the suspect ensued. However, policemen heard the commotion, spotted them and arrested the suspect.
