12-year-old boy allegedly sodomised 30 times by dorm roommate

MELAKA TENGAH - Police have arrested a man after he was suspected of sodomising a 12-year-old boy 30 times at the male dormitory of a Muallaf (Muslim convert) centre, here, since May.

Melaka police chief Datuk Zainol Samah said the victim had been hiding his ordeal for seven months and decided to disclose the matter to his father as he could not stand being harassed by the 20-year-old suspect.

He said the first incident happened at about 3am on May 14 when the suspect woke the victim up from sleep.

"The suspect who was also the victim’s roommate began touching him against his will. The suspect allegedly repeated the act the next day.

"The victim claimed that about a week later, the suspect also took him to the dormitory toilet and was told to touch the suspect. Because the victim was afraid, he complied,” Zainol said.

Zainol said during the victim’s stay at the hostel, the victim was sodomised by the suspect 30 times.

He said the victim had kept quiet about the incidents and did not report the matter because he was worried about his safety.

He said the victim then decided to tell his father about the incident last Sunday before his father contacted the suspect and asked him to come to their house.

"At about 11.45am, the suspect came to the victim's house before three policemen and eight People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) members arrived at the location and took the suspect to the police station.

"This victim has been living in the male dormitory since April 2023 because his mother who was a teaching assistant, lived in the nearby female dormitory to make it easier for her to go to the school," he added.

He said the suspect who hailed from Kepala Batas, Penang and unemployed has been remanded for six days from yesterday until Dec 30 to assist in the investigation under Section 14(d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017. - AWANI