JOHOR BARU: A 59-year-old man arrested last month for allegedly raping an underage girl has been charged at the Sessions Court here.
Johor Police Chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar said the accused, the same person seen caning a ten-year-old in a viral video, pleaded not guilty to the charges of raping and child neglect.
“The suspect was previously remanded under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code for six days, from Dec 11 to Dec 16, 2024.
Following investigations, the suspect faces two charges; one is under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape, which carries a maximum imprisonment term of 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
“The other is under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001 for child neglect, which carries a fine of up to RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both, upon conviction,” he said in a statement here on Sunday (Dec 15).
He added that the accused made the plea after the charges were read to him in front of Judge Hazeelia Muhammad.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Farah Wahida Shahudin while the accused was not represented.
Comm Kumar shared that on Dec 15, the accused was granted bail of RM10,000 for each charge, with two sureties, and the case is scheduled for mention again on Jan 28.
He added that, in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department, immediate measures have been taken to address issues at the welfare home in Kulai, which includes rescuing children housed at the premises.
“The public is strongly advised against making speculation or comments that may interfere with the prosecution process.
“Additionally, parents and guardians are urged to take necessary precautions to ensure children are properly cared for and protected from neglect or exploitation by irresponsible parties,” said Comm Kumar.
The police encourage the public to remain vigilant and report any criminal activity to the nearest police station or contact the Johor Police Hotline at 019-2792095 or the Johor Police Headquarters Operations Room at 07-2212999.
Earlier, On Nov 29, police received a report at 9.48pm of a rape of an underaged victim at a welfare home in Kulai.
On Dec 18, another police report was received at 10.29pm following a viral video of child abuse at the same location.
Kulai OCPD Asst Comm Tan Seng Lee said early investigations revealed that the incident happened at a private orphanage in Taman Mas, where the man is the caretaker.
"The girl who was seen being caned in the video is also a resident of the orphanage," he said.
ACP Tan added that the incident was believed to have happened in October this year.
Earlier, a video of the man caning a girl made rounds on social media. In the one-minute video, the girl could be seen begging the man to stop.
It was previously reported that the police have arrested a local man on Nov 30 for allegedly raping one of the residents of the same orphanage.
