KUALA LUMPUR: A businessman with the ‘Datuk Seri’ title was charged at the Magistrate’s court here today with outraging the modesty of his own daughter since last year.
The 48-year-old accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the offence before magistrate Wong Chai Sia.
He was slapped with two counts of using criminal force to outrage the modesty of his 21-year-old daughter at a house near Taman Kosmo Jaya Off Jalan Sentul on July 16, 2020 and Feb 9, this year, respectively.
He was charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to 10 years or a fine, or whipping, upon conviction.
The father of four was also alleged to have uttered profanities towards the same victim inside a car near Sentul between 12.45am and 1am on July 17 last year.
The offence falls under Section 509 of the Penal Code carries five years’ imprisonment or fine or both.
Deputy public prosecutors Md Azhari Abu Hanit and Mohd Josiendra Abu Senin prosecuted while the accused was represented by counsel M. Puravalen.
Counsel Datuk K. Ganesh held a watching brief for the victim.
Mohd Josiendra asked the court to impose RM100,000 bail with one surety against the accused.
“The court must consider the status of the accused who is a successful businessman and owns several mini markets in the Klang Valley.
“If the court allows a lower amount of bail, the accused will take this case lightly.
“We also want the accused to surrender his passport and not to disturb our witnesses,” he said.
However, Puravalen pleaded for minimum bail stating that the accused was under police bail for the past one month.
“His other children visited him twice after the police report was lodged… he also has the custody of his youngest child,” he said.
This prompted Ganesh to interject by stating that the visits by the children were merely to collect several personal belongings.
“They went to the house to get their school items… right now they are staying somewhere else and are very scared,” he said.
The court set RM25,000 bail with one surety and ordered the accused to surrender his passport until the disposal of the case.
The court also fixed April 27 for mention.-NST