KUALA TERENGGANU, July 19 — An ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist at a private hospital was sentenced to seven years’ jail and seven strokes of the cane today after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a young male patient.
Sessions Court judge Mohd Zul Zakiquddin Zulkifli convicted Mohd Safwan Mohd Soffian, 42, after ruling that the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.
The court found Mohd Safwan guilty on seven charges of sexually assaulting the boy, who was aged 11 and 12 at the time of the offences.
The offences were committed in the doctor’s consultation room at a private hospital here between September and November 2022, and again in April 2023.
For the first six charges, Mohd Safwan was convicted under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, while the seventh charge was under Section 14(d) of the same Act.
Both provisions carry a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping upon conviction.
The court sentenced him to five years’ jail, one stroke of the cane and two years’ police supervision for each of the first six charges.
For the seventh charge, he was sentenced to seven years’ jail, one stroke of the cane and two years’ police supervision.
Mohd Zul Zakiquddin ordered all prison sentences to run concurrently, with effect from today.
The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutors Ahmad Hafizuddin Manjur Ahmad and Nur Azhani Azman.
Mohd Safwan was represented by lawyers Ahmad Kamal Abu Bakar, Arik Zakri Abdul Kadir and Ahmad Fairuz Jusoh. — Bernama
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