Married couple pleads guilty to committing sexual offences against child

Khairul Hizwan Kamarudin, 32 and Norehan Abu Kasim, 35, made the plea before Judge Noridah Adam.

Khairul Hizwan, who does odd jobs in the village, and Norehan, a housewife, were charged with committing physical sexual assault on the teenager by touching the girl's body parts for sexual purposes.

For the offence, they were charged under Section 14 (a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 which provides imprisonment for up to 20 years and shall also be liable to whipping, upon conviction.

They were also jointly charged under Section 15 (d) of the same law, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, for committing non-physical sexual assault on the girl by causing the child to watch them engage in sexual activity.

They face imprisonment for up to 10 years or a maximum fine of RM20,000 or both if found guilty of the offence.

Khairul Hizwan also pleaded guilty to storing several pornographic videos on his mobile phone, which is an offence under Section 292 (a) of the Penal Code which provides imprisonment for up to three years or a fine or both, upon conviction.

The couple was alleged to have committed all the offences in a house in Kampung Bukit Changgang, Kuala Langat on Nov 12 and Dec 1 this year.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Suriantiazila Muhamad prosecuted, while the couple, who was not allowed bail, was unrepresented.

The court set Jan 5 next year to hear the facts of the case before sentencing.

In the same court, 71-year-old Maskuri Suharto pleaded not guilty to committing physical sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl while on the way to a petrol station in Bandar Bukit Tinggi, here at 10.30 pm last Dec 1.

The charge was framed under Section 14 (a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.

Suriantiazila, who also prosecuted in the case, did not request bail because the victim's family had been close acquaintances of the accused for the past 25 years.

Maskuri, who was unrepresented, appealed for low bail on the grounds that he was old and was living alone.

The court did not allow him bail and fixed Jan 5 for mention.