A hotel worker in Kelantan pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault against a 16-year-old girl at a hotel in Tanah Merah last month.
The accused, who was unnamed, made the plea when the charges were read out before Judge Zulkpli Abdullah at the Pasir Mas Sessions Court today.
Raped teen at hotel
According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly committed the act between 3am and 11am in a hotel room on July 24.
The facts of the case stated that he had picked up the victim from her father’s house in Kuala Krai, claiming that he needed to arrange her school transfer to Besut, Terengganu.
Instead of doing that, the accused took the teen to the hotel where he worked and sexually assaulted her while she was asleep.
He also allegedly said ‘adik comel, papa sayang adik, adik kecil macam baby‘ to the victim during the act.
After the assault, the victim fled from the hotel before being found by members of the public and taken to the Tanah Merah District Police Headquarters.
Police later contacted her mother, who was in Besut, and asked her to come to the police station before a report was lodged.
Jailed & caned
The accused, who was unrepresented in court, pleaded guilty to charges framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Aisyha Nai’lah Harizan urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence as a deterrent, stressing that the offence committed by the accused was serious.
She added he had gained the trust of the victim’s guardian under the pretext of handling her schooling arrangements and took advantage of the situation.
The accused pleaded for leniency and told the court he was the eldest of five siblings and had to support his family.
He was eventually sentenced to two years in jail and given two strokes of the cane.
Additionally, he was ordered to undergo counselling while serving his prison term and to remain under police supervision for two years after completing his sentence.
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