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A 19-YEAR-OLD man with a learning disability who went viral for allegedly molesting a child inside a mosque in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, will be referred to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak for a psychiatric evaluation.
The request was made by the defence during proceedings at the Sessions Court today, with lawyer Lingswaran Singh applying for the assessment under Section 342(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, stating that the accused, Muhamad Adam Haiqal Abdullah, is likely unfit to stand trial.
“Throughout my interactions with the accused, and based on information from his mother and a psychological assessment conducted by a public university dated 15 July 2022, he displayed behaviour and made statements that raise reasonable doubt as to his mental soundness and ability to mount a defence,” said Lingswaran.
He added, “This application under Section 342(1) is to have my client referred to a government hospital for psychiatric evaluation.”
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nadiah Malek Fauzie informed the court that all relevant documents have been handed to the defence, except for CCTV footage and the medical report from Hospital Selayang regarding the victim.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Judge Norshila Kamaruddin fixed July 22 for further mention of the case, pending the accused’s psychiatric report, the victim’s medical report, and forensic analysis of the CCTV footage.
Speaking outside the court, Lingswaran explained that the psychiatric evaluation is necessary to determine whether the accused is legally fit to stand trial.
“He does possess an OKU (disabled persons) card, but under medical criteria, someone considered mentally unsound may still legally be deemed fit to stand trial. The court will make that determination based on the psychiatric report,” he said.
Following that, he added, the defence may submit a representation to either drop the case or amend the charge, depending on the evaluation results.
Muhamad Adam is accused of committing physical sexual assault on a 10-year-old girl at Masjid Sungai Masin in Kampung Sungai Masin, Batang Kali, at around 6:20am on 21 February.
He is charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping, upon conviction.
Initially, the accused pleaded guilty during his first court appearance but later changed his plea to not guilty during a second hearing on March 27. He remains in remand at the Puncak Alam Correctional Centre, as his family cannot afford to post bail.
Police had received a report regarding the incident at 8:19am on the same day, after CCTV footage circulated on social media showing a man entering the women’s prayer area of the mosque and embracing a young girl who was in prayer, from behind.
According to the Department of Social Welfare (JKM), the accused has held an OKU card for a learning disability since childhood. - April 29, 2025
