By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Feb 20: A 25-year-old security guard was charged in the Sessions Court here on Thursday (Feb 19) with three offences linked to the possession and alleged involvement in child pornography activities earlier this month.
The accused, from Batu Kawa, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read before Judge Musli Abdul Hamid.
Under the first charge, he is accused of engaging in activities related to the business of child pornography, an offence under Section 8 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act (SOACA) 2017. The provision carries a jail term of up to 15 years and whipping of not less than three strokes upon conviction.
The second charge, framed under Section 10 of the same Act, alleges that he kept obscene material containing child sexual abuse content on his mobile phone. If found guilty, he faces imprisonment of up to 15 years, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both.
He is also charged under Section 292 of the Penal Code for possessing obscene material on the same device. The offence is punishable by a jail term of up to three years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
All three offences were allegedly committed at his residence in Batu Kawa at about 8.30pm on Feb 11.
During the case mention, the court allowed bail of RM50,000 without deposit and RM10,000 with cash deposit, requiring two local sureties with fixed addresses.
The accused was also ordered to surrender his passport and report to the nearest police station on the first day of every month until the case is concluded.
The court fixed March 13 for further case management, while trial dates have been set for May 13 and June 15 to 16.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Asmawi Nur Haqim Mokhtar is leading the prosecution, while the accused is represented by counsel Francis Teron and Benedict Yeo Wei Hup. — DayakDaily
