A 50-year-old religious teacher pleaded not guilty today at the Sessions Court to three charges of possessing child pornography and obscene materials on his mobile phone.
The father of six appeared before Judge Mohd Khairi Haron.
On the first charge, he was accused of seeking child pornography, an offence under Section 8(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, which carries a maximum 15-year jail term and at least three strokes of the rotan.
The second charge, under Section 10 of the same Act, involves possession of three child pornography videos, punishable by up to five years in jail, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both.
The third charge, under Section 292 of the Penal Code, relates to possession of nine videos and 31 obscene images, which carries a maximum three-year prison sentence, a fine, or both upon conviction.
The offences allegedly took place at a residence in Batu Pahat on the evening of June 19.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Diyana Najihah Muhamad Fauzi represented the prosecution, while lawyer Mohamad Salihen Mastor appeared for the accused.
The prosecution initially requested bail of RM20,000 for each charge. The court, however, granted bail of RM15,000 for all charges and ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station monthly.
The court fixed March 2 for the submission of documents.
