Motivation consultant jailed three months for gross indecency

Magistrate Aina Azahra Arifin meted out the punishment to Datuk Dr Muhammad Zahiruddin Mohd Khairulazhar, 27, after he changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his defence proceeding.

Aina Azahra ordered the accused to serve the sentence at the Kajang Prison beginning today.

He was charged with committing gross indecency against a 15-year old boy at an alley of a housing area near Tasik Kecil Medan Idaman Ibu Kota Wangsa Maju, here, at 5.30 pm, on Sept 17, 2016, and the charge was framed under Section 377 D of the Penal Code which provides for maximum of two years' imprisonment.

The Magistrate Court had previously acquitted and discharged the accused, however the High Court ordered Muhammad Zahiruddin to enter his defence after allowing the prosecution’s appeal against the lower court's decision.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Illya Syaheedah Mohd Razif pressed for just punishment considering the victim’s age during the incident and it had also caused the boy to be depressed and suicidal.

“Victim was also in constant fear after being blackmailed by the accused,” she said.

Lawyer Azlan Abdul Razak representing Muhammad Zahiruddin appealed for a minimum jail term because his client was still young and regretted his action, apart from he was still actively involved in motivational activities.

According to the facts of the case, the boy’s father, who was the complainant, said that his son knew the accused when the youngster came to the office of the accused in June 2016 to discuss martial arts.

The accused wanted to get to know the complainant's son better and asked for his phone number and mentioned of wanting to adopt him as a brother.

The accused continued to contact the victim and asked to meet for several times, however the requests were declined by the teenager.

The victim, in the end, relented and went out with the accused, during which the accused had committed gross indecency acts against the youngster in a car.

The victim alerted his parents of the incident before lodging a police report.