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KOTA KINABALU: A 19-year-old teenager pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to two charges of sodomising his stepsibling and committing physical sexual assault against the girl.

When given the opportunity to address the court on bail before Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan, the teenager said he did not know the acts were serious offences and apologised.

On the first count, he is accused of sodomising the 11-year-and-four-month-old girl at about 9am on Jan 2 this year at a house in Manggatal, an offence under Section 377C of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of between five and 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.

On the second count, he is alleged to have fondled the girl’s breasts at about 9am on Jan 4 this year at the same place, an offence under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Francis objected to bail on the grounds that the offences are non-bailable and serious, submitting that the accused and the alleged victim are related and living in the same house, and the court ordered the teenager to be further remanded and fixed March 5 for pre-trial case management.