Religious teacher charged with sexual assault of student
Religious teacher charged with sexual assault of student
Haslina Abu Bakar claims trial to three charges of committing physical sexual assault against a 16-year-old male student two years ago.
Haslina Abu Bakar, 48, pleaded not guilty to the charges, read before judge Ainul Sharin Mohamad.
According to the first charge, Haslina is alleged to have committed physical sexual assault by kissing the boy on the mouth for sexual purposes in November 2024.
On the second charge, she is alleged to have committed the same act by hugging the victim a month later.
On the third charge, she is alleged to have committed physical sexual assault by having the victim touch her chest in November that same year.
The mother of six is alleged to have committed the acts in the Islamic education room of a national secondary school in Kinta.
The charges were framed under Sections 14(a) and 14(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and caning upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Nor Arfahanim Azureen Arfanuddin offered no bail on grounds that the offences were non-bailable, and taking into account the seriousness of the case as the accused was the victim’s teacher. Nor Arfahanim also said that the student no longer attends the same school.
Haslina’s lawyer, Amira Sofea An-Nur Ahmad, sought minimum bail, saying her client has six children between eight and 22 years of age who are still in school and higher learning institutions.
She said Haslina also suffers from high cholesterol and migraines, her husband has health problems, and she is the family’s main source of income.
Amira Sofea also informed the court that Haslina is now serving at another school far from the victim, has a good service record as a teacher, is in permanent employment, and has no prior convictions.
The court allowed Haslina bail of RM10,000 with one surety and fixed Oct 28 for mention and the submission of documents.
No comments:
Post a Comment