PETALING JAYA: A teacher at a special needs child care centre has been charged at the magistrate's court today, with using criminal force on a six-year-old autistic boy.
Thinesh Manickam, 33, pleaded not guilty to the charge read before magistrate Shahril Anuar Ahmad Mustapha.
He was accused of using criminal force on the boy at about 11.50am at the premises in Jalan SS7/13A on July 16.
The charge under Section 352 of the Penal Code provides a maximum three months jail or fine up to RM1,000 or both.
Deputy public prosecutor Asmaa' Zamri urged the court to set bail at RM1,000 and as an additional condition, the accused must not harass the victim until case disposal.
Defence lawyer Y. Sharvin Nair did not object.
Shahril Anuar fixed bail at RM1,000 with one surety and allowed the additional condition.
The court set Aug 27 for mention.
Earlier, the court stood down twice after Thinesh made a conditional guilty plea after the charge was read out to him for the first time but without the presence of his lawyer.
He was asked by the magistrate on his lawyer's whereabouts but he said he did not know as he was supposed to be remanded for seven-days.
His remand expires tomorrow.
The court stood down again after he hesitated to enter his plea after the charge was read out to him again with the presence of the lawyer.
On July 18, Petaling Jaya police chief Assistant Commissioner Shahrulnizam Ja'afar had said the teacher was arrested at 1.13pm in Ampang on July 17 after they received a report from a father that his child had been beaten.
Shahrulnizam had said the incident occurred at the premises.
Preliminary investigations found that the suspect had viciously kicked, hit and pulled the victim until the boy fell from a chair.
He said there were bite marks on the hands of the victim.
He was remanded for five days until tomorrow to be probed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.