Kuala Lumpur - A Malaysian man was sentenced to 10 years in prison and six lashes of the cane after he was found guilty of raping his then-14-year-old stepdaughter, news reports said Friday. The 47-year-old driver for the government had pleaded guilty to abusing the girl in July 2006 at their home in the northern state of Perak.

After sending the girl's younger siblings out to buy sweets while their mother was away at work, the man was accused of barging into the girl's locked room, overpowering her and raping her.

The girl, now 17, broke her silence about the crime and confided to her elder sister in a letter five months ago. The sister alerted their mother and lodged a police report in November, the New Straits Times daily reported

"He should have been the one to care and protect her, but he abused his position and chose to gratify his lust on his young vulnerable stepdaughter," the deputy public prosecutor was quoted as saying. (dpa)