Kota Kinabalu: A 63-year-old man was charged with sexually harassing 14-year-old student.
No plea was taken from Salim Wagiu after the charge was read to him before Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus, pending the chemist and medical reports.
Salim is accused of committing the offence against the girl by holding her right hand and fondling her breasts at 1.30pm on April 4 this year inside a car along Jalan Kg Kerongkom to Kg Bundusan in Kota Marudu.
The offence under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 provides for a jail term of up to 20 years, and whipping, on conviction.
The court set June 14 for mention and released Salim on bail of RM15,000 with RM10,000 deposited in two local sureties.
The court also imposed several additional conditions.
Salim was not allowed to enter the village where the alleged victim lives, not tamper with the prosecution witnesses, report to the Kota Marudu police station once a month, and his passport, if any, to be surrendered to court.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Tham Pou Jin objected to bail due to the risk of Salim tampering with the prosecution witnesses, especially the alleged victim.
Tham informed the court that Salim knew the alleged victim as he was the one responsible (chartered driver) of sending her to school.
She added that even though Salim and the alleged victim are staying in different villages but the distance is very close to each other.
However, counsel Bernard J. Dalinting, who represented Salim, asked for minimum bail to be granted, saying that Salim has two wives and eight children to look after.
Berbard told the court that during investigation, Salim had given full cooperation to the police.
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