A 39-year-old civil servant has pleaded not guilty at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court to three charges of physically sexually assaulting his two daughters, aged 10 and 12, between February and April this year.
The accused entered the plea before Judge Raja Noor Adilla Raja Mahyaldin after all three charges were read out in court on Tuesday.
According to the first charge, he is accused of committing physical sexual assault against his 10-year-old daughter at a house in Melaka Tengah at about 8am in mid-February.
The second and third charges allege that he committed physical sexual assault against his 12-year-old daughter at the same location at about 8am on April 29.
All three charges were brought under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and may also include whipping upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Rif’ah ‘Izzati Abdul Mutalif requested bail of RM40,000 and asked the court to impose additional conditions prohibiting the accused from contacting the victims or prosecution witnesses. The prosecution also sought an order requiring the accused to report to the nearest police station until the case is concluded.
Defence counsel Quek Kia Ping appealed for a lower bail amount, telling the court that his client works as a clerk earning between RM2,000 and RM3,000 a month.
The lawyer also informed the court that the accused’s elder brother, who agreed to stand as surety, earns about RM3,000 monthly as a technician and has his own family to support. He added that the bail money would be raised through loans from family members.
Quek further said the accused no longer lives with the alleged victims and is currently staying with his father.
The court granted bail of RM24,000 with one surety and imposed additional conditions, including restrictions on contacting the victims and prosecution witnesses.
The case has been fixed for further mention on Aug 10.
