A 53-year-old bus driver, Sazali Sahlan, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and 22 strokes of the cane today at the Sessions Court here after pleading guilty to sexually abusing five female students at a Batu Pahat school.
Sazali faced 11 charges under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (AKKSTKK) for physical sexual misconduct. The court ordered each charge to carry six years’ jail and two lashes; however, the prison sentences will run concurrently, while the corporal punishments are to be served in full, resulting in a total of six years’ imprisonment and 22 lashes.
Judge Mohd Khairi Haron also ordered Sazali to undergo counselling while in custody and to remain under police supervision for two years after completing his prison term.
According to court records, the offences involved five 14-year-old girls and occurred inside a bus parked at the Yong Peng–Muar bus stop on Jalan Yong Peng between late 2024 and mid-2025. The misconduct reportedly happened while the students were returning from school together.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Diyana Najihah Muhamed Fauzi, said police had received complaints from one of the victims, leading to the investigation which confirmed repeated incidents over the past year. Sazali, who is married without children, did not have legal representation during the trial.
Section 14(a) of the AKKSTKK carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and caning for each offence if convicted.
