An 18-year-old man in Kelantan pleaded NOT guilty today (May 27) at the court for raping a Form 3 student, which impregnated the victim. She gave birth in January.
The horrendous crime took place last year when the man was 17, and the victim was 15 years old. He was said to have raped the victim inside the warehouse of a school in Kuala Krai, Kelantan. The charge was framed under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code for rape. If convicted, he may be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison and caning.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Faiz suggested that the court set bail of RM15,000 with one surety, but the defendant’s lawyer, Wan Noor Farhan, pleaded for leniency, saying that his client had just been admitted to the university preparatory class (matriculation) and was expected to report to lectures on June 23.
“My client still needs to do a lot of preparation. He was only 17 at the time of the crime and is now 18.”
“His parents are a factory worker and a labourer, respectively, and cannot afford the high bail.”
The court eventually set the bail at RM5,000 with one surety and has set June 26 as the re-mention of the case, reported Harian Metro.