A 23-year-old man in Johor had intercourse with his underage girlfriend, and after promising that he would tie the knot with the girl, he went ‘missing’.
The man, however, faced a statutory rape charge in court, to which he pleaded not guilty and was released on RM10,000 bail.
According to the charge sheet, the man is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl on 25 October at 12:30 AM at a residence in Muar. He was charged under Section 376(1) for rape, and will face a prison term of up to 20 years with strokes of rotan, if found guilty.
The accused ‘ghosted’ the victim after intercourse
The 23-year-old defendant met the underage girl through a social media platform, and the two later reportedly became lovebirds. The girl had also dropped out of school for unspecified reasons, and the man had promised to marry her after they had intercourse.
Before he was caught and faced the rape charges, the man had blocked the girl on social media and phone. The girl then told her mother about the incident, and they later lodged a police report before the man was arrested at his home two days later.
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The Muar Sessions Court has adjourned the case and set the matter for a hearing on 6 January. In the meantime, the defendant is also not allowed to disturb the witnesses and the victim while on bail until the matter is resolved, reported Sin Chew and Harian Metro.
The man is also required to report himself to the police station once every month until the matter is concluded.
