Two Form Five students involved in the alleged Melaka school sexual assault case were charged in the Sessions Court today, with one of them pleading guilty to all charges.
The two 17-year-old defendants faced three charges: gang rape, unnatural sexual intercourse, and sexual assault. The second defendant confessed to all three counts, while the first defendant pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.
The first charge was for jointly raping a 15-year-old child, an offence under Section 375B of the Penal Code (Gang Rape), which carries a penalty of imprisonment for not less than 10 years and not more than 30 years upon conviction.
The second charge was for intentionally engaging in unnatural sexual intercourse with the victim, violating Section 377B of the Penal Code (Voluntarily Committing Unnatural Carnal Intercourse), punishable by up to 20 years in prison and whipping.
The third charge, under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, was for intentionally grabbing the victim’s chest and committing physical sexual assault, which also carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and whipping.
The offenses were allegedly committed on September 30 at approximately 2:50 PM, in a classroom at a school in Alor Gajah.
State Director of Prosecutions Ahmad Sazali Omar, who is the lead prosecutor, suggested a high bail of RM20,000 for each count for both defendants, citing the seriousness of the case.
However, the first defendant’s lawyer, Chua Yong Yi, requested a lower bail, mentioning her client’s recent sinus surgery and health issues, including a hernia. The National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) lawyer representing the second defendant also requested a reduced bail and agreed to accept any court conditions.
Magistrate Dr. Teoh Shu Yee subsequently allowed bail: RM4,000 for the first charge and RM1,500 each for the other two charges, bringing the total bail to RM7,000.
The court set November 26 for mention, pending the submission of the relevant documents for the first defendant and the behavioral report for the second defendant before sentencing.
