A 48-year-old female religious teacher at a secondary school in Kinta has been charged with three counts of sexual assault involving a 16-year-old male student.
The woman, who is married and has six children, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before Ipoh Sessions Court Judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamad on Monday.
According to the charges, the accused allegedly committed the offences inside a room at a secondary school in the Kinta district between November and December 2024.
She was charged under Sections 14(a) and 14(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and may also include whipping upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Arfahanim Azureen Arfanuddin applied for bail to be denied, arguing that the offences were non-bailable.
However, the accused’s lawyer, Amira Sofea An-Nur Ahmad Basri, asked the court to grant bail, saying her client was the sole breadwinner for her family.
The court was told that the accused’s six children are aged between eight and 22, with some still attending school, while her husband has no stable source of income.
The judge subsequently allowed bail of RM10,000 with one surety. The court also fixed October 28 for the next mention of the case and the submission of documents.
