KUALA LUMPUR - A disabled teen who previously pleaded guilty to a charge of physically assaulting a girl at a mosque in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, changed his plea at the Ampang Sessions Court here today.
The 19-year-old accused changed his plea to not guilty after the charge was read out again before Judge Norshila Kamaruddin.
"I understand the charge and plead not guilty," said the teenager, who was clad in a grey polo T-shirt.
Sentencing was initially set for today after he pleaded guilty to the charge in the same court on Feb 27.
He was charged with committing the offence on the girl, aged 10 years and eight months, at a mosque in Batang Kali here at 6.20am on Feb 21.
The charge, framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and punishable under Section 14 of the same Act, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping if convicted.
Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Nadiah Malek Fauzie requested the court to set a mention date for the submission of documents following the accused’s change of plea.
Lawyer Lingswaran Singh, representing the accused, said he would submit a representation to have the charge against his client dropped.
The court fixed April 29 as the mention date for document submission.
Previously, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) recording went viral, showing a man in a white skullcap sneaking into the women’s prayer area of a mosque before grabbing a girl from behind as she was prostrating and taking her out unnoticed by other worshippers.
The CCTV footage also showed the man attempting to grope the victim but fleeing when she resisted. - BERNAMA