By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, April 22: A 47-year-old man who worked as a driver for a secondary school at Jalan Matang pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court here today to a charge of molesting an underage girl.
The accused, Zolhaji Mohamad, appeared before Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman who refused him bail as this was a non-bailable offence, pending case mention on May 12 including for the prosecutor to tender relevant documents to the Court.
As the accused is a civil servant, additional procedural steps will need to be taken including to inform the Public Service Department and to cease his employment upon conviction.
The charge was framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries imprisonment up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.
He allegedly gropped the right breast of a 15-year-old female student in front of a house in Jalan Matang, Depo Link, at about 1.18pm on April 14, 2022.
During mitigation plea, the accused asked for more lenient punishment, saying it was his first offence and that he was remorseful for what he had done, while promising not to commit such crime in the future.
He also told the Court that he has to take care of both his parents and three children, while he also suffers from hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.
It was reported that the accused stopped the girl as she was walking home from school. The accused, who was riding his motorcycle, suddenly stopped the victim and pretended to ask something.
The accused then suddenly groped the victim’s chest and sped away.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Aiman Mutallib Mohamad Shariff prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.
