Kota Kinabalu: A 30-year-old e-hailing driver was charged with committing physical sexual harassment against a 17-year-old female passenger.
Mohd Shazaini Hamza pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan, Wednesday.
He is accused of committing the offence against the girl by touching her shoulder, face, hands and thighs at 4am on June 16 inside a vehicle parked in Kolombong.
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.
SPONSORED CONTENT Shell awards Sabah LiveWIRE winners Kota Kinabalu: Shell has awarded five enterprises as the state winners of Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia 2024, following the Sabah state finals held at Plaza Shell in Kota Kinabalu. . Read more The court set Aug 12 for case management and released Mohd Shazaini on bail of RM6,000 in two local sureties with several conditions to be imposed.
As additional conditions for bail, Mohd Shazaini must report to the nearest police station on the first day of every month until trial is disposed, to surrender his passport, if any, to the court pending trial and he strictly directed not to disturb any of the prosecution’s witnesses, especially the alleged victim.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Atiqa Nazihah Azmi objected to bail as the charge was a non-bailable offence and requested for the accused to be further detained under Section 259 of the CPC.
However, Atiqa said in the event that the court granted bail, she asked for the bail amount of RM10,000 with two local sureties.
She submitted that both Mohd Shazaini and the girl did not know each other and were strangers.
Atiqa also asked for strict directions that Mohd Shazaini not to disturb the alleged victim or tamper with the prosecution’s witnesses.
In reply, counsel Datuk Ram Singh applied for the bail amount to be reduced to less than RM10,000, saying that his client is married and has a child.
He added that the accused has a permanent address and is a local and that Mohd Shazaini’s family members were present in court.
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