Teenager pleads not guilty to raping student in school store

KOTA BHARU - A teenager pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to a charge of raping a 15-year-old female student at a secondary school in Kuala Krai in April last year.

The 18-year-old boy was charged under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment and caning upon conviction.

However, as the accused was a minor at the time of the alleged offence, sentencing provisions under Section 91 of the Child Act 2001 apply.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Faiz Fitri Mohamad proposed bail at RM15,000, while defence counsel Wan Norfarhan Liyana Wan Baharunddin requested a lower amount, citing the accused’s low-income parents who work as daily-wage labourers.

She also informed the court that the accused, a recent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia graduate, is scheduled to begin matriculation studies next month.

Judge Zulkifli Abllah allowed bail at RM5,000 with a condition that the accused does not tamper with prosecution witnesses, and fixed case mention for June 26. - BERNAMA