A 20-year-old inmate has pleaded not guilty in the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court to a charge of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old male detainee while they were sharing a prison cell at Sungai Udang Prison earlier this year.
Muhammad Awal Hariul entered the plea before Sessions Court Judge Rohatul Akmar Abdullah after the charge was read out on Tuesday.
According to the charge, the accused allegedly committed physical sexual assault against the teenage detainee at around 11pm inside Cell 13 of Sungai Udang Prison, in Melaka Tengah, in early January 2026.
He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and may also include caning upon conviction.
During the proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Qaiyyum Ramlan proposed bail of RM15,000, together with additional conditions requiring the accused to report to the nearest police station once a month and refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses.
The accused, who was not represented by legal counsel, did not make any application for a lower bail amount.
The court fixed 17 August for the next case mention to allow for the submission of case documents and the appointment of defence counsel.
