Religious teacher charged with sexual assault of 11-year-old pupil

The accused (third from left) flanked by policemen at the court complex on Feb 24.

KOTA KINABALU: A teacher at a religious school here has been charged at the Sessions Court here on Friday (Feb 24) for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old pupil.

The 29-year-old man pleaded not guilty to the two charges after they were read to him before Sessions judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan.

The accused, who began work at the school in late 2021, was charged with committing the assault on the Primary Five girl between March last year and January.

He was charged under Sections 14(a) and 14(d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which provide imprisonment of up to 20 years and caning on conviction.

The two charges were read together with Section 16(c) of the same Act, which carries an additional maximum five-year jail sentence and no fewer than two strokes of the rotan.

The accused was allowed bail of RM5,000 for each charge with two sureties.

The court then set March 24 for next mention.

According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly committed the act while teaching the girl to recite in the school’s teachers' room.

He was said to have changed the time and place of the teaching sessions, which were usually held at the school surau during the daytime on weekends, to Monday and Tuesday nights in March last year.

Based on the girl's testimony, the accused began committing the sexual assaults that same month, by touching her thigh and chest.

The girl’s younger brother, who attended the classes with her, was said to have witnessed the man’s actions.

In January this year, the accused was alleged to have inserted his finger in the girl’s private parts while she was sitting and studying in front of him.

She later told her parents of the alleged incident and they subsequently lodged a police report on Feb 14. The accused was arrested the following day.

Deputy public prosecutors Dacia Jane Romanus and Najiha Farhana Che Amat appeared for the prosecution while lawyer Mohamad Syazwan Shah Mohamad Ali represented the accused.