Disclaimer: This article mentions rape, sexual harassment and other graphic details that may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
A 34-year-old religious teacher is facing 7 charges of raping and physically abusing a student with a disability (OKU) between December 2023 and last August.
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He assaulted the girl in a storage room
Harian Metro reported that Mohd Zulkurnain Mohd Zain is facing 2 charges of rape and 5 charges of physical assault against an OKU victim, who is now 15 years old.
However, he pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court today (November 25) but confessed after all the charges were read out before Judge Siti Noraida Sulaiman.
The offences are said to have happened between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM, sometime between last December and 3 months ago, inside a storage room at a special education school.
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“The accused also suffers from appendicitis”
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Farah Wahida Shahudin asked the court to set bail at RM60,000 with one surety for all 7 charges, plus a condition for the accused to report to the nearest police station once a month and hand over his international passport to the court.
However, defence lawyer Iskandar Shah Ibrahim asked the court to lower the proposed bail to RM30,000 instead, explaining how the accused is a civil servant with a monthly salary of RM3,000, while his wife earns only RM1,800 a month.
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The judge ordered the accused to be granted bail of RM35,000
The judge then set bail at RM35,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station once a month and hand over his international passport to the court.
For the rape charges based on Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, the accused could be facing up to 20 years in prison and whipping if convicted.
He’s also been charged under Section 14(b) and Section 14(d) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017 for physical sexual abuse of the victim, which also carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, along with possible whipping.
The case will be mentioned again on December 30 for the submission of documents.
Also read: Man in Kelantan Sexually Abuses 14yo Daughter, Tells Court “He Didn’t Do it on Purpose”
