By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Sept 26: A local man claimed trial to a charge of exposing his 13-year-old sister to pornographic videos.
The 33-year-old defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge presented before Sessions Court Judge Musli Abdul Hamid.
According to the charge, he is alleged to have committed this offense at a village along Penrissen Road at approximately 8.30pm on September 20 last year.
Consequently, he was charged under Section 15(e) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act (SOACA) 2017 and can be punished under Section 15 of the same act. If found guilty, he could face imprisonment for up to 10 years, a fine not exceeding RM20,000, or both.
During the proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ruvinasini Pandian did not offer any bail as this is a non-bailable offense, considering the safety of the victim who resides in the same household as the accused.
Therefore, Judge Musli rejected the accused’s request for bail and ordered that he be remanded in Puncak Borneo Prison until the case is concluded.
The court has set the case management date for October 24.
It is understood that the victim herself reported her brother’s actions to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest.
Furthermore, the accused is a member of the military but has been absent from duty on a number of occasions.
The accused, who attended the proceedings today, was not represented by legal counsel.
Section 15(e) of SOACA 2017 pertains to physical sexual abuse of a child, involving causing a child to watch or listen to any description, whether in whole or in part, whether in visual, audio, or written form, or a combination of visual, audio, or written form, through any means, including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, digital, optical, or magnetic means, or produced manually, or a combination of any means, that is about a person or any other person engaging in sexual activity. — DayakDaily
