BALING: Four teenage boys have pleaded not guilty at the Children’s Court to charges of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old Form Three student.
The accused, aged between 15 and 17 years old, include one former student and three current secondary school students.
They faced separate charges during a closed court proceeding before Judge Rohaida Ishak.
Each defendant is accused of committing physical sexual assault against the teenage girl at the Becah Sawa oil palm plantation in Siong.
The charges also include assaults inside a classroom at a secondary school here on various dates in June, July, and August of last year.
All four were charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
This section carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and caning upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Amirul Halimi Md Salleh represented the prosecution during the proceedings.
None of the accused had legal representation in court.
The prosecution later informed media that all teenagers had entered not guilty pleas.
The court granted each accused bail of RM3,000 with one surety.
Judge Rohaida Ishak set November 27 for the next case mention.
Previous media reports indicated three students and a former student were arrested for the sexual offence and distribution of lewd material.
Police made the arrests after a 53-year-old parent alerted the school’s disciplinary teacher about a circulating video of the 15-year-old victim. – Bernama
