MELAKA: A 36-year-old Arabic class teacher claimed trial at the Sessions Court in Ayer Keroh here to two counts of sexual assault against an underaged boy.
The plea of Abdul Halim Ismail was recorded before Judge Rohatul Akmar Abdullah on Mon (Aug 5).
Based on the facts on the first charge sheet, the accused had allegedly touched the private parts of the 11-year-old boy for sexual purposes.
The charge was framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 read together with Section 16 of the same act.
The first Section carries a maximum jail term of up to 20 years and whipping while Section 16 provides for imprisonment not exceeding five years and also whipping not less than two strokes, upon conviction.
The accused faced the second charge for allegedly touching his own private parts to ejaculate in the presence of the same victim for sexual gratification.
For the offence, he was charged under Section 15(c) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 which carries a jail term of up to ten years or a fine of RM20,000 or both, upon conviction.
The accused had allegedly committed both offences at a hotel in Melaka Tengah district at around 10pm on July 18, last year.
Prosecuting Officer Inspector Norhayati Yusoff proposed the bail to be set at RM20,000 for each of the charges.
Lawyer Syahrul Nizam Mohd Rabi, who represented the accused, appealed to the court to lower the bail amount as his client is currently unemployed after being suspended due to the ongoing case and is also suffering from fatty liver disease.
The court later granted a bail of RM15,000 for both the charges and fixed Sept 12 as the next mention date.
