MELAKA – A technician pleaded not guilty at the Ayer Keroh sessions court here today to 12 counts of committing physical sexual assault and raping his two stepdaughters.
The 44-year-old man was charged with committing the offences on the two girls, aged 11 and 16, between March 2023 and January 1 this year at a house in Taman Merlimau Emas, Section 2, Merlimau, in Jasin district.
Six of the charges were framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 for touching any part of the victims’ body, read together with Section 16 of the same law, which provides imprisonment of not less than 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.
Three of the charges were framed under Section 377CA of the Penal Code for having sexual connections with another person by the introduction of any object into the vagina or anus of the other person without the other person’s consent.
The law provides for imprisonment of not less than eight years and not more than 20 years, as well as whipping, upon conviction.
The remaining three charges were framed under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code for rape, which allows him to be sentenced to imprisonment of not less than eight years and not more than 20 years and whipping of not less than 10 lashes, upon conviction.
Judge Darmafikri Abu Adam allowed him bail of RM40,000 with one surety and also ordered him to surrender his passport to the court and report himself at the Melaka police contingent headquarters every month, as well as to not intimidate the victims and witnesses in the case.
Deputy public prosecutor Rashidah Baharom appeared for the prosecution in the case, while lawyer Umar Zulkarnain represented the accused.
In the same court, a 28-year-old security guard was charged with six counts of committing physical sexual assault and raping his two stepdaughters, aged 14 and 16, at Rumah Pangsa Lereh, Tg Kling in Melaka Tengah district between June 2023 and last January 2.
Three of the charges were framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act and read together with Section 16 of the same law for physical sexual assault, while the other six charges were for rape, framed under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code.
Deputy public prosecutor Rashidah Baharom proposed bail of RM30,000 for four of the charges, but lawyer Nur Aifaa Mohd Zain, representing the accused, informed the court that her client could not afford bail.
Judge Darmafikri then ordered the accused to be taken to prison and set February 27 for mention. – January 17, 2024