Man charged with molesting 5-year-old niece in Marudu
Published on: Saturday, March 23, 2024
By: Cynthia D Baga
The offence under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 provides for a jail term of up to 20 years, and whipping, on conviction.
Kota Kinabalu: A 27-year-old jobless man was charged with committing physical sexual harassment against his five-year-old niece.
The man pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus, Friday.
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He is accused of committing the offence against the child by rubbing his private part on the child’s private part between 8am and 11am on Feb 4 in a room of a house in Kota Marudu.
The offence under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 provides for a jail term of up to 20 years, and whipping, on conviction.
The court set April 24 for mention and for the complainant to give a statement pertaining to the withdrawing the report against the man.
Pending the date, the man was offered bail of RM10,000 with RM3,000 deposited in two local sureties and to report to the Kota Marudu police station twice a month as well as warned not to tamper with the prosecution witnesses.
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Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Tham Pou Jin objected to bail as the man was staying in the same house with the alleged victim and also due to their relationship.
However, counsel Syazwan Shah informed the court that the alleged victim’s parents had lodged a police report to withdraw the report against the man in Kota Marudu and the parents were also present in court on Friday.
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Syazwan asked for bail to be granted saying that the alleged victim and her family had moved to Kota Kinabalu and no longer staying in the same house.
He added that a lower sum of bail should be given as the man was from a hardcore poor family.
Meanwhile, a 23-year-old Indonesian claimed trial to two counts of committing sexual abuse against his sister-in-law.
On the first count, the man allegedly committed the offence against the 13-year-old girl by fondling her breasts and hugging her at a room of a house in Kota Marudu in November 2022 at about 11am.
On the second count, he allegedly repeated the same offence against the same girl at the same place on March 23, 2023 at 7am.
The court set April 25 for mention and no bail was offered to the man pending the disposal of his case.
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