SEREMBAN: A 35-year-old transgender claimed trial at the Sessions Court here to a charge of causing physical injury to a child who had been left under his care.
Asok Kumar Subramaniam claimed trial after the charge was read to him before judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi.
He was charged with causing physical injury to the boy, who was only four years old then, which resulted in the victim suffering a broken right leg.
Asok was charged with committing the offence at a house along Batu 4 Jalan Desa Rusa in Port Dickson around 7.30pm on Nov 3, 2022.
He was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act, which carries a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term not exceeding 20 years or both upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Mohd Radzuan told the court that the prosecution was not offering the accused bail due to the seriousness of the offence.
She said a high amount should be set if the court decides to allow it.
In mitigation, lawyer M. Dinesh said the accused would not be able to raise such a high amount as he only worked as a make-up artist.
"The accused earns between RM1,000 and RM2,000 a month, and even this is seasonal," he said, adding that Asok also had to provide for his sickly mother.
Dinesh told the court that the victim was no longer under the care of the accused.
Judge Meor Sulaiman then set bail at RM7,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to report at the nearest police station on the first Saturday of every month till the case is disposed of.
The court then fixed Nov 29 for remention.
In another court earlier, 36-year-old Peter Tamil Chelvan also claimed trial for a charge of causing injury to the same victim.
Peter pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him before Sessions judge Surita Budin.
He was charged under the same Act with committing the offence around 10pm on Sept 30 at the same house.
Deputy public prosecutor Nor Baizura Mohd Saubian asked the court to set bail at RM50,000 with one surety.
However, Mohd Hanif Hassan, the lawyer for the accused, asked for a low amount as his client only worked as a housekeeper at a hotel and earned RM1,500 a month.
He said the accused also had to provide for his mother, who suffers from heart and kidney-related issues.
"The accused also suffers from kidney-related issues and lives with his parents.
"His father, who is present in court to bail him, is only an office assistant earning about RM1,800," he said, adding that apart from five other children, the father also has to provide for his own parents and parents-in-law.
Judge Suriati then fixed bail at RM20,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to report at the nearest police station once a month.
She then fixed Nov 27 for remention.
On Tuesday (Oct 8), Port Dickson police chief Supt Maslan Udin said the suspects were detained following a report lodged by a 67-year-old woman from Klang who used to look after the victim when he was a baby.
He said the victim's father died when he was a baby, and his mother had abandoned him.