A hostel warden, Mohd Khairi Fitri Baharom, 38, was sentenced to six years in prison and four strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court today after pleading guilty to 12 charges of physical sexual assault and sodomy involving seven students.
Judge Datin Surita Budin handed down the sentence after hearing that Mohd Khairi, a teacher at a learning institute, had committed unnatural sexual intercourse with five children aged between nine and 12, offences under Section 377C of the Penal Code, which carry a minimum five-year jail term and caning, with a maximum of 20 years.
Additionally, he faced six charges of physically sexually assaulting six children aged nine to 12, which fall under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017. This offence carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment and caning.
The offences occurred between March 2024 and January 2025 at the learning centre in Batu Kikir, Jempol, and at a residence in Kampung Rembang Panas, Kuala Pilah.
During mitigation, his lawyer Ahmad Loqman Hakim Ahmad Khairie requested leniency, stating that the accused is single and is the primary caregiver for his ailing mother, and therefore asked for the minimum sentence.
Deputy public prosecutors Norazihah Asmuni and Nurul Balkis Zunaidi urged the court to impose a stern punishment, stressing the gravity of the offences and the breach of trust by someone entrusted with the care of students.
The court ordered that the prison sentence commence from May 25, the date of his arrest. Furthermore, Mohd Khairi was ordered to undergo rehabilitation counselling and to be placed under police supervision for one year following his release.
