BUTTERWORTH: A 74-year-old man has been charged with rape and sexual assault of two sisters at two separate Sessions Courts here.
The religious teacher, who teaches religious classes from his home, was slapped with 10 charges of rape and seven charges of sexual assault against the victims over the course of seven years.
In the first Sessions Court before judge Noor Aini Yusof, he was charged with three counts of raping a minor, between Jan 1, 2018, to Dec 31, 2020 when she was between the ages of seven and nine.
The charge sheet, read out in Bahasa Malaysia, said the rape took place at his home in Kampung Setol, Jalan Baru, in Prai, Butterworth.
He was charged under Section 376(1)(e) of the Penal Code for committing rape against the victim, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.
In the same court, he was charged with three counts of sexually assaulting the same victim during the same period and at the same location.
He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 that carries imprisonment for up to 20 years and is also liable to whipping.
The man pleaded not guilty to all six charges.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhamad Syeqal Che Murat who prosecuted said no bail was offered for this offence.
Nur Aini told the accused that no bail would be offered and set July 29 for case mention pending documents and for the accused to appoint a lawyer.
He was then produced at another Sessions Court before judge Norhayati Mohamed Yunus and charged with seven counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault on another minor between Jan 1, 2014, and early March 2021.
The charge sheets read that he was charged with seven counts of rape between Jan 1, 2014, and Dec 31, 2020, when the minor was between the age of five and 11-years-old.
The incidents took place at his home in Kampung Setol, Jalan Baru, in Prai, Butterworth.
He was charged under Section 376(1)(e) of the Penal Code for committing rape against the victim, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.
In the same court before Norhayati, he was then charged with four counts of sexually assaulting the same victim between Jan 1, 2018, and early March 2021 when the victim was between the ages of nine and 12, at the same location.
He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 that carries imprisonment for up to 20 years and is also liable to whipping.
The man pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Aisyah Al Humayrah Kamaruzaman told the court that no bail would be offered as there were another 10 minors who have claimed to be victims of assault by the accused.
"If he is out on bail they (the minors) might be afraid to cooperate and give their statements to the police," she said.
Norhayati did not offer bail and set July 29 for case mention pending documents and for the accused to appoint a lawyer.
