Albertine Leo kidnap case: Unemployed man faces 15 charges

JOHOR BAHRU: An unemployed man faced 15 charges related to the kidnapping of a six-year-old girl, Albertine Leo Jia Hui, in two separate Sessions Courts and the Kulai Magistrates Court today.

Leang Win Son, 31, pleaded not guilty to all of the charges read in Mandarin.

He faced eight charges in the Sessions Courts for kidnapping, wrongful confinement, and non-physical sexual assault of the child, as well as collecting and possessing sexual abuse material related to the victim.

In the Sessions Court before Judge Rasidah Roslee, Leang was accused of kidnapping Leo at Eco Galleria, Taman Botani, Iskandar Puteri, at 8.30 pm on July 20, and charged under Section 363 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years and a fine upon conviction.

He was also charged with wrongfully confining the child in a hotel room in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, Selangor at 4.45 am on July 23, under Section 346 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of two years, upon conviction.

In another Sessions Court before Judge Siti Noraida Sulaiman, Leang was charged with collecting 5,317 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on two SD cards, a hard disk, and a mobile phone at a house in Taman Sri Kulai near Kulai at 4 pm on July 24.

The charges were framed under Section 8(b) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a minimum of three strokes of the cane upon conviction.

Leang was also accused of possessing 30 images of child sexual abuse material on a mobile phone in a hotel room on Jalan Mahagoni 9, Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, Selangor, at 4.45 am on July 23.

These charges fall under Section 10 of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both, upon conviction.

Leang was also charged with non-physical sexual assault by undressing a child and exposing her body in the same hotel room between 2.30 pm on July 22 and 4.45 am on July 23.

This charge was framed under Section 15(a)(ii) of the Sexual Offenses Against Children Act 2017, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, a fine of up to RM20,000, or both upon conviction.

Johor State prosecution director Abdul Ghafar Ab Latif informed the court that all the offences are non-bailable. However, if the court were to grant bail, he proposed RM160,000 for all eight charges.

The accused's lawyer, Nur Zafirah Norizan, requested a minimum amount, citing that her client is unemployed and fully supported by his 58-year-old mother, a single parent without a stable job or income.

The two courts then granted bail at RM50,000 with additional conditions that the accused refrain from tampering with witnesses, report to the nearest police station once a month, and surrender his passport.

The case was then scheduled for mention on Sept 12 for document submission.

Meanwhile, at the Kulai Magistrate's Court, Leang pleaded not guilty to seven charges of possessing pornographic material at his home in Taman Seri Kulai at 4 pm on July 24.

The charges are under Section 292 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of three years, a fine, or both upon conviction.

Magistrate Azureen Sahira Sauffee Afandi granted bail at RM10,000 with one surety and set Sept 10 for case mention.

Deputy public prosecutor Nor Fadilah Johanuddin appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was represented by lawyers Nor Zafirah and Ungku Ahmad Hafis Ungku Fathil.

-- BERNAMA

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