SUNGAI PETANI: A police officer claimed trial at the Sessions Court here today over a rape charge and three counts of sexual assault involving a 16-year-old girl last Wednesday.
Inspector Mohd Maliki Azmi, 35, who was attached at the Yan district police headquarters as an investigation officer, was charged before Judge Roslan Hamid.
Maliki, who appeared in a round-neck black t-shirt, was calm when the charges were read to him by the court interpreter.
He was charged with using his authority against the victim to rape the minor.
He is accused to have committed the offences about 6.30pm on Dec 28, 2022 in a criminal investigations room at the Yan police headquarters.
The charge was framed under Section 376(2)(f) of the Penal Code (Act 574) which carries jail term up to 20 years and whipping.
The accused later claimed trial to three separate charges under the Child Sexual Act for committing sexual assault on the same victim.
For the first charge, he is accused to have touching the victim’s private part, at the same time, date and location.
The charge was framed under Section 14(a) of the Child Sexual Offences 2017 (Act 792) read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act.
He is staring at up to 20 years’ imprisonment and also liable to whipping.
Maliki also claimed trial to a charge of forcing the victim to insert an object into her private part, at the same time, date and location.
The charge was framed under Section 14(c)
of the Child Sexual Offences 2017 (Act 792) read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act.
The charge carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment and also liable to whipping.
As for the third count, Maliki was charged with forcing the victim to undress and show her body with a sexual intention, at the same time and location.
The charge was framed under Section 15(a) of the the Child Sexual Offences 2017 (Act 792) which carries up to 20 year’s jail and whipping.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Hizween Azleena Othman Kamal urged the court to impose RM20,000 bail for the rape charge and RM15,000 for the sexual assault charges.
She also urged on the court to order the accused to report to nearest police station once a month and to surrender his travel documents to the court pending trial.
Hizween was assisted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Zulfadzly Hassan and Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Natasha Rizal.
Maliki, who was not represented, pleaded to the court to set a lower amount for his bail as he had lost his income, other than having a wife and parents to support apart from a mounting debt.
The court subsequently set the bail amount at RM10,000 bail for the rape charge and RM15,000 for the sexual assault charges.
The case had been fixed for mention on Feb 6.
It was reported that the victim had gone to the Yan police headquarters to lodge a police report alleging that she was raped by her stepfather on Dec 28.
The girl claimed that the police officer had asked her to enter his room to carry out inspections.
However, the victim claimed that the police officer took advantage of her in the pretext of inspecting her, and had raped her.
The girl lodged a police report on the incident three days later, leading to the arrest of the suspect.-NST