KLANG - A male teacher pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to 14 charges of committing physical sexual assault against six 15-year-old female students at a secondary school in Sabak Bernam.
The accused, Idi Johan Mohd Zohdi, 45, a music teacher, entered his plea after all charges were read out before Judge Sharifah Hascindie Syed Omar.
According to the charges, the man allegedly committed various acts of physical sexual assault against the six female students.
The alleged incidents took place at several locations, including a classroom, music room, mathematics room, music equipment store, a house, and a vehicle in Sekinchan and Sabak Bernam between January 2025 and February of this year.
The charges were filed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act, which carries imprisonment of up to 20 years and caning.
Additionally, under Section 16(1), he faces an additional prison term of up to five years and no fewer than two strokes of the cane, upon conviction.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nor Suhaili Abu Bakar did not offer bail. But if the court were to grant it, she proposed RM20,000 per charge, along with conditions that the accused not harass the victims and report monthly to a police station.
The accused’s lawyer, Datuk Mohd Imran Tamrin, requested that the bail amount be reduced, citing that his client has a wife and a school-going child as dependents, and has no prior criminal record.
He added that the accused, who has served as a teacher since 2002, has never faced any disciplinary action throughout his career.
The court then allowed the accused to be released on bail of RM30,000 for all charges, subject to the additional conditions proposed by the prosecution.
He was also ordered to surrender his passport. The court then set July 30 for the next case mention. - BERNAMA