By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, July 15: A boarding school teacher and hostel warden has received yet another heavy sentence, adding to his growing list of convictions for preying on vulnerable students.
The 43-year-old man was handed 15 years’ imprisonment and six strokes of the cane after being found guilty of physically sexually assaulting a 14-year-old male pupil.
Sessions Court Judge Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar meted out the penalty today, ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the accused after his defence concluded.
He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, read together with the same section, for committing physical sexual assault on the Form Two student.
The offence took place in mid-2022 at the warden’s private quarters on the second floor of the boys’ hostel at a boarding secondary school here.
Five witnesses were called by the prosecution during the trial, while the defence presented only one.
This marks the third conviction for the accused on identical charges. On Oct 3 last year, he was sentenced to 15 years in jail and 10 strokes of the cane for assaulting a 16-year-old male student in late October 2022.
Most recently, on May 8 this year, he received a further 16 years’ imprisonment and 13 strokes for the same offence against another 14-year-old boy in June 2022.
Court records reveal a consistent and calculated pattern of abuse. In each case, the accused targeted students who approached him for help after falling ill. He would let the feverish boys rest in his quarters, then take advantage of their weakened state to touch their private parts for sexual gratification. The abuse spanned from 2022 into 2023, leaving all victims with lasting psychological harm.
The boys eventually told their mothers what had happened, prompting their families to file police reports. The accused was arrested at the Jalan Lapangan Terbang police station at 2.30pm on Nov 13, 2023.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Adriana Maisarah Mohd Farid led the prosecution. — DayakDaily
