KUCHING: A local man charged with committing sexual assault against a young girl has been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation at Hospital Sentosa.
The order was issued by Judge Musli Abdul Hamid against the 25-year-old accused after allowing an application by the prosecution under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
During the case mention, the accused nodded in understanding of the charge read out by the interpreter, but no plea was recorded.
According to the charge, he is accused under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act (SOACA) 2017 for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl.
The offence was allegedly committed along Jalan Batu Kawa Lama, Moyan, at about 12.20 am on Apr 19.
If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years and whipping.
The court fixed May 26 for further mention of the case.
It is understood that the victim’s father knew the accused, and on the day of the incident, the accused had sought permission to take the victim out to buy a drink.
However, after taking the victim out, the accused did not proceed to any shop to purchase the drink.
Instead, the victim was taken behind a shop where the accused allegedly took advantage of the situation to molest her before fleeing the scene.
The victim later returned home and informed her mother of the incident.
A police report has since been lodged for further action and investigation.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Asmawi Nur Haqim Mokhtar, while the accused was represented by three lawyers.
