KUCHING: A boarding school warden has been sentenced to 15 years in jail and 10 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old male student.
Judge Musli Abdul Hamid handed down the sentence on the 42-year-old after the prosecution successfully established a prima facie case at the end of its proceedings.
The accused, who had served as a teacher for 15 years, was convicted under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act (SOACA) 2017, read together with Section 14 of the same Act. Upon conviction, the offence carries a penalty of up to 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping.
The warden was accused of committing physical sexual assault on the teenager by touching the victim’s private parts.
The offence took place at the warden’s quarters on the second floor of the male dormitory of a boarding school here on October 28, 2022 at 6:30 am.
The accused was said to have committed the act when the victim had gone to the warden’s quarters to seek help as he was suffering from a high fever.
In delivering the decision, the court held that the victim’s delay in lodging a police report on November 18, 2023, and later testifying in court on October 24, 2024, was reasonable and based on valid grounds.
This was because the victim felt ashamed to come forward and was worried that it would disrupt his preparations for the upcoming Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
The court further found no evidence to support the accused’s claim that he was not on duty at the school on the date of the incident.
During the proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor, Asmawi Nur Haqim Mokhtar, urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence, taking into account the trauma suffered by the victim.
He also stressed the fact that the accused, as a warden, was entrusted with the safety of his students and should have upheld the integrity expected of an educator.
Meanwhile, defence counsel Steven Beti pleaded for a lighter sentence on the grounds that his client had given full cooperation throughout the trial and had served for 15 years as a teacher.
Musli ordered the accused to begin serving his prison sentence from October 2, 2025, and further directed that he undergo counselling while in custody.
The accused was also ordered to be placed under police supervision for three years upon completion of his prison term.
