SETIU: A male teacher pleaded not guilty at the Setiu Sessions Court on Wednesday (June 3) to seven charges of physical sexual assault against two male students since last May.
Darusalam Ab Rahman, 42, made the plea after all the charges were read out before Judge Ahmad Fadhli Mahmud.
For the first three charges, the teacher was accused of communicating via the WhatsApp application with a 17-year-old male with the intent to commit or facilitate physical sexual assault against the victim.
The offences were allegedly committed at a house in Kampung Anak Ikan, Besut, between 9:21pm and 2:10am on May 5, 8, and 10.
The charges were framed under Section 12(1) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act (SOACA) 2017 and read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act, which provides for a prison sentence not exceeding five years and liability to whipping.
In addition, the accused faces two charges of committing physical sexual assault against the same teenager inside a car in front of an eatery in Kuala Terengganu at around 9:00pm, and in front of a house in Kampung Anak Ikan at around 10:00pm on May 11.
The charges were brought under Section 14(a) of SOACA 2017 and read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act, which carries a prison sentence not exceeding 20 years and liability to whipping.
Meanwhile, Darusalam was also slapped with two charges of committing physical sexual assault against a 15-year-old male teenager in a secondary school toilet in Besut at around 4:00pm on May 8, under Section 14(a) of SOACA 2017 and read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act, which carries a similar punishment.
Judge Ahmad Fadhli allowed the accused bail of RM22,000 for all charges with one surety, alongside additional conditions requiring him to report to the nearest police station once a month and restraining him from contacting prosecution witnesses.
The court fixed July 6 for mention and submission of documents at the Besut Sessions Court.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Akmal Mohd Jazlee, while the accused was represented by a lawyer who declined to be named. — Bernama
