KUCHING: A primary school teacher from a school in Serian pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting his students here yesterday.
The accused Lai Chee Chiang claimed trial to the 14 charges before Sessions Court Judge Shafiza Abdul Razak Tready who fixed Oct 24 for further mention of the case.
Lai, 37, was denied bail and ordered to be further detained in prison until further notice.
The accused was detained by police on Oct 2 at the Serian police station after he was summoned to give a statement. The parents of the alleged victims lodged police reports after their complaints were said to have been ignored by the school.
Eight of the charges were framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act.
If found guilty, Lai faces jail time not exceeding 20 years and shall also be liable to whipping.
The other charges come under Section 377E of the Penal Code for committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature without consent which provides jail time up to five years and if the accused is found guilty, shall also be liable to whipping.
DPP Azahari Yusof prosecuted the case while the accused was represented by K C Wong.
