MELAKA: A 28-year-old factory worker has been sentenced to three months in prison by the Magistrate’s Court in Ayer Keroh here for molesting a female jogger.
Magistrate Sharda Shienha Mohd Sulaiman handed down the sentence to Muhammad Ridzuan Yusof after he pleaded guilty to the charge read to him by a court interpreter yesterday.
According to the charge sheet, Muhammad Ridzuan – who has a learning disability – was accused of intentionally using criminal force to outrage the modesty of a 20-year-old dental clinic assistant.
He had hugged the victim, touched her private parts and covered her mouth, causing her fear and distress.
The offence was committed at the Melaka Historic City Council’s recreational park at Bukit Serindit here at 10pm on April 10.
The charge was framed under Section 354 of the Penal Code.
Earlier, the accused’s lawyer Muhammad Izzuddin Ab Malek from the Legal Aid Foundation appealed for a lighter sentence on the grounds that his client works at a factory earning only RM1,500 and has repented over his actions.
But deputy public prosecutor Wardah Ishhar urged the court to impose a heavier sentence, taking into account the seriousness of the offence.
