KOTA KINABALU: A 27-year-old tuition teacher was charged in the Sessions Court here with sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy.
Samson Chin Hong Sheng pleaded not guilty to the charge before Judge Marlina Ibrahim.
Chin is accused of touching the boy’s thigh and private parts at a house in Kolombong here on Sept 28 this year.
The charge, under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
The court ordered Chin to report to a police station once a month and prohibited him from tampering with prosecution witnesses.
Defence counsel Lawrence Lim Ming Zoong applied for a reduction in bail.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Arfa Ancheal Khan objected to bail but proposed RM10,000 should the court decide to grant it.
The court granted Chin bail of RM7,000 in two local sureties and fixed Nov 24 this year for pre-trial case management.