SEREMBAN - Three teaching assistants at a madrasah in Kuala Pilah pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here, today, to 14 charges of sexual assault against five children, in 2022 and 2023.
The accused, Muhammad Habib Noh Mohd Zairi, 21, Muhammad Khunais Fathie Khabil, 20, and Ahmad Nadzful Izham Azizan, 22, made the pleas after the charges were read, separately, before Judge Datin Surita Budin.
Muhammad Habib Noh is facing five charges, including a charge of causing a 10-year-old boy to physically touch himself sexually, which is an offence under Section 14 (b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 792).
He was also charged with having physical sexual contact with two boys, aged nine and 11, with all the offences committed at the madrasah in 2022. The charges are framed under Section 14 (a) of the same law.
The offences carry a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment, and can also be subject to whipping.
The second suspect, Muhammad Khunais Fathie is facing six counts of sexual assault, by having physical sexual contact with two boys, aged 10 and 11, at the same location last year.
The third suspect, Ahmad Nadzful Izham, was also charged with three similar charges against two boys, both aged 10, at the same location, between June and December last year.
These offences can be punished under Section 14 (a) of the same law which also provides for a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, and can also be subject to whipping.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Balkis Zunaidi proposed bail of RM30,000 for each charge, with additional conditions that the accused must not disturb the victims or witnesses, report to a police station monthly, surrender their passports to the court, and remain contactable by authorities at all times.
However, Muhammad Habib’s father and Muhammad Khunais Fathie’s father, along with Ahmad Nadzful Izham’s brother, vouched for them in their appeals for a lower bail, citing their inability to afford a higher amount.
The court allowed all the accused bail of RM12,000 for each charge, with the additional conditions of not disturbing the victim and witnesses, and reporting to a police station monthly, until the disposal of the case.
The three accused must also surrender their passports to the court, remain contactable by authorities at all times, and the surety must ensure their attendance in court.
The court set Oct 30 for the submission of documents and the appointment of a lawyer.
Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the three sodomy suspects, arrested in Op Global recently, would be charged in the Seremban Sessions Court today.
Last week, the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department raided 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, linked to GISB Holdings and rescued 402 children and teenagers, 201 boys and 201 girls aged one to 17. - BERNAMA