Justice Nurulhuda Nuraini Nor upheld the sessions court’s finding that Khanesen, 34, was guilty of rape. On July 29, the court also allowed the prosecution’s cross-appeal, increasing Khanesen’s sentence from 11 years’ imprisonment and two strokes of the cane to 13 years’ jail and three strokes. The court also placed significant weight on DNA evidence after Khanesen’s DNA was found inside the victim’s mouth, corroborating her testimony that he had forced her to perform oral sex. In increasing the sentence, Nurulhuda said Khanesen had abused his position as a valet working at an entertainment outlet frequented by young patrons. She said those aggravating factors justified a more deterrent sentence to punish the offender and warn others against committing similar offences.