A silat coach has been sentenced to a total of nine years’ imprisonment and three strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to sexually harassing a 15-year-old student three years ago.
Sessions Court Judge Marlina Ibrahim handed the sentence to 40-year-old Yuslaine Awang Yusof after he changed his plea to guilty on July 10.
The court heard that Yuslaine hugged the victim and touched her breasts during the incident, which occurred at night on Aug 26, 2023.
He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
On Tuesday, the court sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment and one stroke of the cane under Section 14(a), along with an additional two years’ jail and two strokes of the cane under Section 16.
The court ordered the seven-year sentence to run concurrently with a separate three-year prison term imposed on June 29 this year, while the two-year sentence will run consecutively, resulting in an effective jail term of nine years.
In addition, Yuslaine was ordered to pay RM8,000 in compensation to the victim through her mother or legal guardian. Failure to pay the compensation will result in an additional six months’ imprisonment.
The court also ordered him to undergo rehabilitation counselling throughout his prison term under Section 26(1) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
After completing his sentence, Yuslaine will remain under police supervision for one year in accordance with Section 27 of the same Act.
Previously, on June 29, the Magistrate’s Court sentenced Yuslaine to three years’ imprisonment and one stroke of the cane after finding him guilty, following a full trial, of outraging the modesty of another student who was 18 years old at the time of the offence.
That conviction was under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of up to 10 years, a fine, whipping, or any combination of those punishments.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor DK Afiqah Alya AK Johari @ Pg Johari, while Yuslaine was represented by defence counsel Michelle Usman.
