MELAKA: A senior citizen suffering from a bout of ailments claimed trial at the Sessions Court in Ayer Keroh here to a charge of committing physical sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl.
The 70-year-old accused entered the plea after the charge was read out before Judge Haderiah Siri on Monday (June 9).
According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly committed physical sexual assault on the teenager some two years ago.
The offence was said to have been committed at a house in Taman Tay Boon Seng, Klebang, here at about 2pm in early February 2023.
The charge was framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
If convicted, the accused can face a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Nazrin Ali Rahim proposed a bail of RM20,000 along with several additional conditions.
Lawyer Kent Tan Chow Teng, representing the accused, appealed for a lower bail, citing that his client suffers from heart disease and diabetes and has no fixed income.
The court set the bail at RM10,000 with conditions that the accused must not disturb the victim, report to the nearest police station every month and surrender his passport to the court.
The next mention for the case has been fixed for July 16.
