KUCHING: A 43-year-old warden/teacher was found guilty and sentenced to a total of 16 years of imprisonment and 10 strokes of whipping by the Sessions Court here today (May 8) for sexually assaulting a male student four years ago.
Judge Iris Awen Jon meted out the sentence to the accused after the prosecution successfully established a prima facie case at the end of the case.
According to the charge, the accused was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment and eight strokes of whipping under Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (SOACA).
In addition, the accused was also sentenced to additional three years imprisonment and two strokes of whipping, which is under Section 16 of the same Act.
Pursuant to Section 26 of the SOACA 2017, the court ordered the accused to undergo supervision for a period of two years during the term of imprisonment and another two years upon completion, which is pursuant to
section 27 of SOACA 2017.
The accused committed the offence in June 2022 at a boarding school in Kuching, where he physically sexual assaulted his 14-year-old student by touching his private part for sexual purposes.
The court heard that on November 11, 2023, the victim informed his father about the incidents, which had occurred multiple times, including at the accused’s house while the victim was unwell, as well as at the hostel.
A police report was subsequently lodged, leading to the accused’s arrest on the same day.
A total of five witnesses were called upon by the prosecution throughout the trial.
In delivering her decision, Judge Iris said that the court observes that the accused’s failure to call the witnesses he relied upon renders his assertions uncorroborated and bare denial.
“In consequence, the prosecution’s version of events remains unshaken.
“Accordingly, the court finds that the accused has failed to raise any reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.
“Hence the court hereby found that the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt and convict him for the offence as per under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (SOACA), and
punishable under Section 14 of the same Act,” she said.
For the record, the accused had also been sentenced to 15 years in jail and 10 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here in October 2025 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old male student.
Judge Musli Abdul Hamid handed down the sentence on the accused after the prosecution successfully established a prima facie case at the end of its proceedings.
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.
The cases were prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Mohamad Aiman Mutallib Mohamad Shariff, while the accused was represented by two defense counsels.
