KUCHING: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry will study the judgment in the child sexual assault case at a Batu Caves welfare home before raising the matter with the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC).
Its minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said understanding the court's reasoning is essential before any further actions are taken.
"I cannot give my opinion like an ordinary person. I have a legal background, so I need to read and understand the judgment.
"It would be unfair for me to criticise a decision without knowing the court's reasoning. We can raise our concerns with the AGC because we find this case extremely serious; we cannot take it lightly.
"If we feel the need to intervene, any discussions will be among government officers, not based on external stories," she told reporters at the WCaRE Outreach Programme: Empowering Ethnic Communities in Kampung Pasir Panjang Saturday (April 11).
Nancy explained that the court's decision is beyond her ministry's authority and must be respected under the rule of law.
She added that parents or guardians of the victims who are dissatisfied with the court's decision may use existing legal channels to file an appeal.
On Thursday (April 9), the caretaker of the welfare home, Retna Velu, pleaded guilty at the Ampang Sessions Court to 15 counts of physical and non-physical sexual assault, as well as unnatural intercourse, involving five boys aged eight to 13.
The offences were allegedly committed at the home between November 2025 and March this year. The court has set May 21 to hear the facts of the case and for sentencing.
In the same proceedings, the welfare home's owner, S. Valan, 31, pleaded not guilty to four charges of physical sexual assault against four male teenagers aged 13 to 16, allegedly committed between 2019 and March this year.
The court granted the accused bail of RM30,000 and set June 10 for the next case mention. - Bernama
