SEREMBAN: A juvenile Rohingya UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholder will be sent to the Henry Gurney School after he pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl.
The accused, who is 18, did not contest the charge after it was read to him before Sessions judge Surita Budin here on Tuesday (Dec 3).
The court ordered the accused to be detained at the school for young offenders in Melaka until he turns 21.
The accused was charged with committing the offence at a hotel room in Tampin between 4.20pm and 5.10pm on June 8.
He was charged under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and caning upon conviction.
DPP Nurul Balkis Zunaidi asked the court to sentence the accused to jail as the offence was serious.
A Social Welfare Department officer also recommended that the accused, who was unrepresented, be sent to prison.
Judge Surita then asked the accused how long he had been in remand and was told that he had been in police custody for the past five months.
"After perusing evidence by the parties and the guilty plea by the accused, the court finds... that a jail sentence is inappropriate as the accused is a young offender," she said.
Lawyer S. Karthigesan, in his capacity as amicus curiae (friend of the court), urged the court not to jail the accused as he was eager to go back to school.
"I spoke with the accused who had only studied until Form Two previously and he told me that he wants to go back to school.
"I urge the court to send him to Henry Gurney School so that he will become a better and useful person," he said, adding that the boy's stepfather and mother, who were present in court, had committed to visiting him regularly.
Surita then ordered the accused to be sent to the school until age 21 and told his parents to support him until his release.
