SEREMBAN: A 63-year-old man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in a house garage in Port Dickson.
Noor Aini Ismail admitted committing the offence after the charge was read out before Sessions Court judge N. Kanageswari.
The offence was committed in the garage of a house in Taman Desa, Port Dickson, on Dec 6.
Under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, the offender is liable to a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction. This section deals with sexual assault involving touching.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Balkis Zunaidi told the court that Noor Aini should not be granted bail pending sentencing as it was a serious offence.
The judge agreed and fixed Jan 19 for sentencing.
In an unrelated case in the same court, a 32-year-old man claimed trial to two counts of raping his stepdaughter at their house in Kuala Pilah.
The scrap metal collector allegedly committed the offences in August 2023 when the girl was 16 and again in August 2024.
The charge under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code carries a jail term of between eight and 30 years and at least 10 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.
DPP Nurul Balkis asked for a mention date to allow the accused to appoint a lawyer.
She also told the court the prosecution was not offering bail as the accused lives in the same house with the alleged victim.
The accused pleaded for bail as he had to provide for his five children.
He also told the court that his wife was present to post bail.
Kanageswari granted bail of RM16,000 in one surety for both charges.
She also ordered the accused to stay away from the girl and other prosecution witnesses, and to report once a month at the nearest police station until his case is disposed of.
