JOHOR BARU: A man has claimed trial at the Sessions Court here for allegedly abusing and causing injuries to his stepchild.
The accused, Mohamed Ra'id Taqiuddin Ismail, 32, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read before judge Thalha Bachok @ Embok Mok on Wednesday (Sept 3).
According to the charge sheet, the man, who had custody of the child, abused him in a manner that could have caused him physical injury.
He allegedly committed the offence at a house in the Melana Indah Phase Two People’s Housing Programme (PPR), Taman Sutera Utama, Skudai, between 8pm and 9pm on Aug 24.
He was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a fine of up to RM50,000 or a maximum jail term of 20 years, or both, upon conviction.
In addition, the offender must also execute a good behaviour bond and perform community service.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Fatimah Mamu asked the court to set bail at RM20,000 with additional conditions for the accused to report to the nearest police station once a month, surrender his passport to the court, and not disturb the victim and prosecution witnesses.
She also told the court that the victim, the fourth of five siblings, is currently under the care of his grandmother and aunt.
The accused, who was unrepresented, then appealed for his bail to be reduced, saying that he has to support five children, a wife and his mother with his salary of RM1,500.
The court then granted him bail of RM10,000 with one local surety and three additional conditions as proposed by the prosecution. The case was fixed for mention on Sept 30 for document submission.
Meanwhile, in a separate court, 32-year-old Nurul Haslina Abd Rahim, who is Mohamed Ra'id’s wife and the biological mother of the six-year-old victim, was charged with allowing her child to be abused.
According to the charge sheet, Nurul Haslina, as the person with custody of the boy, had allowed him to be abused at the same place and time.
She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of up to RM50,000, or both, upon conviction.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Zuhainie Zull Kafli, while the accused was represented by lawyer K. Bharathi.
Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail granted her bail of RM5,000 with one surety and additional conditions requiring her to report to the police once a month and surrender her international passport to the court.
The case was set for mention on Oct 14 for document submission.
