MUAR: A pisang goreng seller was charged at the Sessions Court here to molesting his grandniece on the pretext of massaging her at a house in Batu Pahat last year.
The 54-year-old claimed trial to the charge after it was read before judge Irwan Suainbon.
According to the charge sheet, the married man was alleged to have inappropriately touched his grandniece, then aged 12, at her uncle's rented house about noon on a date in February last year.
The charge was framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, punishable under Section 14 of the same, for physical sexual assault on a child.
If found guilty, the man can be sentenced to up to 20 years in jail and is also liable to caning.
According to the police report lodged on the incident, the victim had just returned from school to her uncle's house as her mother was working at the time.
The accused, who had dropped by, offered to massage the victim as she felt tired, and allegedly took advantage of the situation by touching her inappropriately.
After the incident, the victim was said to have kept to herself, was unable to sleep and was often seen crying.
She kept silent for 17 months before finally opening up to her elder sister, who then lodged the police report at the Batu Pahat police headquarters on July 18.
Acting on the report, police went to the accused's house but he went on the run for two days before surrendering himself.
During proceedings, deputy public prosecutor Danial Munir did not offer bail, stating that the offence was a serious one.
The accused was not represented.
The court, however, set bail at RM10,000 with one surety and fixed Aug 25 for submission of documents and appointment of a defence lawyer.
The court also ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station and not to contact the victim or any of the witnesses until disposal of the case.