PETALING JAYA: A boarding school teacher appeared at the Klang Sessions Court yesterday to face charges of non-physical sexual abuse against a 13-year-old female student, with the alleged offense having occurred six years ago.
According to Utusan Malaysia, Erzazuraidi Mohd Nasir Perumal, 40, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before judge Noridah Adam.
ALSO READ: Teacher charged with committing physical sexual assault on student
He is accused of instructing the victim to take sexually suggestive photographs of himself for sexual gratification at around 3am between November and December 2019 at a residence in Kampung Bukit Kerayong, Kapar, Klang.
The charge falls under Section 15(f) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017, read in conjunction with Section 16 of the same Act.
This carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment, a RM20,000 fine, or both, along with a minimum of two strokes of caning.
Deputy public prosecutor Nur Ayuni Jamri proposed bail of RM15,000 with one surety and additional conditions.
Defence counsel Khairul Mukhtar appealed for a lower bail of RM3,000, emphasising that the accused remains employed and poses no flee risk.
He stated: “The accused is a public servant (teacher) and has been under investigation since 2022. Throughout the investigation, my client has cooperated well with the police, and today he appeared in court to face his charges.”
Noridah proceeded to set bail at RM5,000 with one surety, adding conditions that the accused must not contact the victim or witnesses and must report to the nearest police station monthly.
Faizal Rahman, the lawyer representing the victim and their family, called for a thorough investigation at the school to uncover any potential sexual harassment issues, asserting that the child is not the sole victim.
On January 10, last year, it was reported that the victim’s brother had expressed regret over the school teacher’s alleged sexual harassment of his sister, who was then trying out for the hockey team.
