KUCHING: A 43-year-old teacher was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and six strokes of the rotan by the Sessions Court here today (July 15) after being found guilty of physically sexually assaulting a 14-year-old male student.
Judge Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar ordered the prison sentence to run consecutively with sentences imposed in two other cases involving the same accused.
The accused was found guilty on one charge under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 792). The court ruled that the defence had failed to cast any reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.
According to the charge, the accused physically sexually assaulted the victim by touching the victim’s private part in mid-2022, in front of the warden’s residence at the boys’ hostel of the school where he worked.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping upon conviction.
During mitigation, the accused, who was represented by two defence counsel, pleaded for leniency, saying he had been a responsible teacher and hostel warden and expressing remorse for his actions.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Adriana Maisarah Mohd Farid urged the court to impose a commensurate sentence, emphasising the public interest aspect of the case. She argued that as a teacher and warden, the accused should have been protecting students rather than preying on them.
The prosecutor also highlighted the trauma suffered by the victim and noted that the accused had shown no genuine remorse, providing no reason to lighten the sentence.
Beyond the prison term and whipping, the court ordered the accused to undergo rehabilitative counselling throughout his imprisonment under Section 26(1) of Act 792. Upon completion of his prison sentence, he will be placed under police supervision for three years under Section 27(1) of the same Act.
Judge Noorhisham emphasised that the sentence was imposed with public interest in mind.
A total of five prosecution witnesses and one defence witness testified during the trial.
In May this year, the Sessions Court sentenced the accused to a total of 16 years’ imprisonment and 10 strokes of the rotan after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting another male student in 2022.
Judge Iris Awen Jon handed down the sentence after the prosecution successfully established a prima facie case.
In that case, he received 13 years’ imprisonment and eight strokes of whipping under Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, plus an additional three years and two strokes under Section 16 of the same Act.
In October 2025, he was also 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 Ab Hamid ordered him to begin serving that sentence from October 2, 2025, and also directed him to undergo counselling while in custody, with three years of police supervision upon release.
Across all three cases, the accused faces a total prison sentence of 41 years and 29 strokes of whipping. All sentences are to run consecutively.
No appeal was proposed as the sentence imposed falls within the trend of similar cases.
