KOTA TINGGI: A teaching assistant at a tahfiz (religious school) in Mersing, Johor, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail and 30 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here for sexually assaulting a male student at his school last year.
Mohd Faizal Man, 45, pleaded guilty to all 15 charges against him after it was read out to him in front of Sessions Judge Hayda Faridzal Abu Hasan here on Thursday (Feb 13).
According to the charge sheet, the accused sexually assaulted a 14-year-old teenager by rubbing his private part on the victim’s buttocks, and inserting his private part into the victim’s mouth.
Mohd Faizal carried out the assault inside a bedroom of a surau at the tahfiz in Air Papan Mersing between middle of May, 2022 until Oct 31 last year.
He was charged under Section 14(d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years.
The accused may be subject to whipping, and an additional jail term of up to five years, and a minimum of two strokes of the cane, if convicted.
Hayda Faridzal then sentenced the accused to 10 years' imprisonment, with two strokes of the cane for each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently.
Hayda Faridzal also ordered the accused to undergo rehabilitation counseling during his imprisonment, and to be placed under police supervision for a year after completing his sentence.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Khairuddin Khalid prosecuted while National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) lawyer Ikhwaan Zulkifli represented the accused.
