Ex-teacher charged with 17 counts of sexually assaulting 7 schoolgirls
Ex-teacher charged with 17 counts of sexually assaulting 7 schoolgirls
Zaidi Abbas is accused of committing the offences while holding a position of trust as a teacher.
Zaidi Abbas, 56, who is physically disabled, made the plea after the charges were read out to him before judge Rafidah Che Aziz.
He was charged with committing the offences while holding a position of trust as a teacher.
The offences were alleged to have taken place in a special room and the canteen of a secondary school in Langkap, as well as in a vehicle in the surrounding area and during a journey back from Teluk Intan.
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.
The offences carry a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping upon conviction. The court may also impose an additional prison sentence of between two and five years, together with at least two strokes of the cane.
Deputy public prosecutor Izzuddin Fakri Hamdan offered bail of RM70,000 for all the charges with the additional conditions.
However, lawyer Koh Shean Wai, representing Zaidi, appealed for the bail amount to be reduced to RM1,000 for each charge on the grounds that his client, who was earning about RM4,000 a month, had to support his wife, mother and four school-going children.
He said Zaidi did not have a criminal record and was not a flight risk.
Rafidah granted bail of RM40,000 for all 17 charges, and also ordered Zaidi not to intimidate the victims, as well as to report to the nearest police station once a month pending disposal of the case.
The court fixed Dec 14 for mention and submission of documents.
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