AMPANG: A 19-year-old teen pleaded guilty on Thursday (Feb 27) to a charge of sexual assault involving a schoolgirl, 10, at a mosque in Selangor last week.
The incident, which was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV), saw 18 TikTok accounts of Malaysian media outlets which reported on the case to be blocked by the social media giant.
Muhamad Adam Haiqal Abdullah, a registered holder of the Persons with Disabilities card, made his plea after the charge was read out to him before Judge Norshila Kamarudin at the Ampang Sessions Court on Thursday, according to local news outlet the New Straits Times (NST).
He was accused of allegedly molesting the girl at about 6.20am at Jamek Sungai Masin Mosque in Batang Kali on Feb 21.
Footage of the incident, which has since gone viral, captures Adam sneaking into the women’s section of the mosque’s prayer hall and scooping up the girl while she was prostrating behind other congregants.
He was seen approaching the girl from behind and attempting to carry her away unnoticed. He then fled when the victim resisted.
If convicted, Adam can be jailed for up to 20 years and caned according to Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
Norshila has fixed Mar 27 for sentencing while the court awaits a social report from the welfare department, Sinar Harian reported.
During the proceedings on Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurfadzlin Mahmad Zulhasnan had also offered for the accused to be granted bail at RM15,000 (US$3,376)
“He must also report to the police station and be barred from harassing the victim and prosecution witness,” Nurfadzlin was quoted as saying by NST.
“This is because the location of the offence is near the residential area where the victim lives and this is to prevent the recurrence of the incident.”
Adam, however, said that he does not have a bailor.
Hulu Selangor district police arrested and remanded him for seven days since last Friday after a report was made at about 8.20am that day.
Selangor welfare department director Azmir Kassim confirmed that investigations found that Adam has been a disabled card holder since young.
Various Malaysian ministers have weighed in on the incident after it went viral.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri has urged the public to refrain from circulating videos of the sexual assault involving the schoolgirl, emphasising that the victim is protected under the Child Act 2001.
Sharing footage of her situation, Nancy said, is highly inappropriate.
“We urge those who receive the video or were at the scene not to share it, as the victim is already traumatised by the incident,” the minister said on Feb 26 at a press conference after an International Women’s Day celebration in Ipoh.
Nancy said that her ministry is ready to assist the police in their investigation, especially on matters regarding the welfare of the victim and her family, news agency Bernama reported.
She also urged mosques to tighten security measures to prevent similar incidents, especially with Ramadan approaching.
“CCTV and other security measures should be in place to prevent anyone from exploiting the mosque’s premises,” Nancy said, as quoted by Bernama.
Echoing Nancy’s comments, another minister earlier said that the incident requires a thorough investigation and should be a lesson to mosque managements to increase safety measures at their premises.
He also emphasised the need for firm action by the authorities.
“I hope that if the suspect is proven to have committed the offence, stern action will be taken as a lesson to all,” said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs Na’im Mokhtar as quoted by Free Malaysia Today on Feb 21.
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil earlier on Monday said that the TikTok accounts of the Malaysian media outlets that reported on the case were blocked due to artificial intelligence (AI) moderation.
TikTok’s community guidelines state child sexual abuse material is not allowed, including any screenshots or clips of the original material, even if they do not show nudity or sexual activity.
Accounts blocked by TikTok include those from Bernama and television news outlet Buletin TV3. The ban was still in force as of 11.30am on Thursday.
Fahmi said that the Malaysian government is in talks with the social media giant to restore the 18 affected accounts.
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