A 28-year-old mechanic, Mohamad Ikhmal Abd Fatah, was charged at the Sessions Court on Tuesday with three counts of sexually abusing his 16-year-old girlfriend.
The accused pleaded not guilty to all charges before Judge Zulkifli Abllah.
According to the first charge, Mohamad Ikhmal allegedly committed the sexual offence at a house in Sungai Rek at 4.15am on January 14. The second and third charges relate to similar offences at the same location at 2am on January 24 and 11pm on February 14, respectively.
All charges were brought under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and may also include whipping upon conviction.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Syazalia Che Suhaimin, while the accused was represented by lawyer Wan Amani Wan Azmin. No bail was initially offered due to the serious nature of the charges.
Syazalia stated that the victim, who is not attending school, resides with her grandmother in Manek Urai Lama, approximately 20.3km from the accused’s home. The couple is believed to have been in a romantic relationship and living within the same district.
Wan Amani requested the court to grant reasonable bail, noting that his client cooperated fully during investigations, has a permanent address, and promised not to contact the victim. He also mentioned that Mohamad Ikhmal, the second of seven siblings, has been living with his grandfather since 2020 to care for the elderly relative.
The court allowed bail of RM10,000 with one surety, imposing additional conditions requiring the accused to report to the police every two months, avoid contacting the victim and witnesses, and notify the court of any address changes. The accused’s father and mother were present for the bail proceedings.
The case is set for mention on April 5.
