KUCHING: The Magistrate’s Court here fined a local man RM5,000 in default 10 months in prison for molesting a young woman by groping her buttocks in front of a private hospital.
Muhammad Irfan, 23, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan to the charge under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which provides for up to 10 years’ imprisonment, or a fine, or whipping, or any two of the punishment, upon conviction.
The offence took place at around 3.40 am on Sept 18 by the roadside in front of a private hospital here.
Based on the case facts, the victim was riding her motorcycle to work at a café when she was accosted by an unknown man.
Muhammad Irfan groped her buttocks while uttering the words, “Kitak nyaman aihh.” Startled, the victim screamed, prompting the man—who was also on a motorcycle—to flee the scene.
The victim, however, managed to record the license plate of the Honda motorcycle used by the suspect before lodging a police report.
Muhammad Irfan was arrested the next day (Sept 19) in Bandar Baru Samariang during ‘Ops Kesan’. Police investigations confirmed that he had committed the offence, while an identification parade also positively identified him as the perpetrator.
It was understood that the man has three prior drug-related records and one record for criminal intimidation.
