A caretaker at a welfare home has been sentenced to 36 years in prison and six strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to multiple charges involving the sexual abuse of five boys.
The Sessions Court handed down the sentence to 25-year-old Retna Velu after he maintained his guilty plea to nine charges of physical and non-physical sexual offences committed against the children.
Judge Ho Kwong Chin ordered the prison sentence to run from the date of the accused’s arrest on April 3.
The latest sentence comes just weeks after Retna Velu was separately sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment and five strokes of the cane by another Sessions Court on May 21. In that earlier case, he pleaded guilty to six charges involving sexual offences and unnatural sex against two boys.
According to the charges, the offences involved five boys aged between eight and 13 at the time of the incidents. The crimes were committed at a children’s welfare home in Batu Caves, Gombak, between November 2025 and March this year.
The accused was charged under multiple provisions of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carry severe penalties including lengthy prison terms and caning.
During mitigation, the unrepresented accused appealed for a lighter sentence. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Hairuliqram Hairuddin urged the court to impose a heavy punishment, describing the offences as serious crimes that warranted a strong deterrent sentence in the public interest.
Lawyers representing the victims’ families were also present during the proceedings.
The case emerged following allegations of widespread abuse at the welfare home, which had reportedly been operating for a decade.
Earlier reports revealed that an 11-year-old boy claimed he had been repeatedly sexually abused at the facility over a period of two years. The child was reportedly among more than 20 boys aged between nine and 17 who allegedly suffered physical and sexual abuse at the home.
Several victims alleged they were subjected to intimidation, violence and threats that prevented them from reporting the abuse. Some claimed they were physically assaulted and punished if they attempted to speak out.
The revelations shocked the public and triggered investigations into the welfare home and individuals linked to its management.
Authorities continue to investigate allegations involving other suspects connected to the facility as the case remains one of the most disturbing child abuse scandals reported in recent years.
