SEREMBAN: A 42-year-old school gardener has been sentenced to five years in jail by the Sessions Court here after pleading guilty to four charges of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student.
Muhammad Azlee Ruslan did not contest the charges after they were read to him before Judge Surita Budin.
He was charged with committing the offences between July 10 and 18 this year.
The offences took place in the compound of a school and a hypermarket in Seremban 2 near here.
The accused was charged under Sections 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 for committing physical sexual assault and 15(e) for non-physical sexual assault, which carry a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
In mitigation, the accused, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a minimum punishment, citing it as his first offence and expressing remorse.
Deputy public prosecutor Norazihah Asmuni requested a stern punishment, emphasizing the seriousness of the crime.
Judge Surita sentenced the accused to five years for each of the first three offences and three years for the fourth, ordering them to run concurrently.
She also mandated that he undergo counselling and remain under police surveillance for a year after completing his jail term.
According to the facts of the case, the victim's father discovered text messages and pornographic material sent by the accused to his son on his mobile phone.
He then lodged a police report, leading to Muhammad Azlee's arrest.
