JOHOR BARU: A 31-year-old unemployed man appeared in two separate sessions courts to face eight charges related the abduction, wrongful confinement and sexual abuse of a 6-year-old girl.
Leang Win Son is also charged with the possessing and collecting child sexual abuse material, since last month.
Leang claimed trial after the charges were read to him in Mandarin.
In the first court session in Johor Baru before Judge Rasidah Roslee, Leang was charged for abducting the girl from her legal guardian or her mother at Eco Galleria, Taman Botani in Iskandar Puteri at 8.30pm on July 20.
He faced charges under Section 363 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment and a fine.
Leang is also charged with wrongful confinement under Section 346 of the Penal Code for unlawfully imprisoning the child in a hotel room at Jalan Mahagoni 9, Batang Kali, in Hulu Selangor, at 4.45am on July 23.
This offence is punishable by a maximum two-year prison sentence.
In the second court session before Judge Siti Noraida Sulaiman, Leang faced six additional charges.
Four of the charges involved the possession of 5,317 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, which were found on two secure digital (SD) cards, one hard drive and a mobile phone at a residence in Jalan Bunga Raya 2, Taman Sri Kulai, Kulai, at 4pm on July 24.
The charges under Section 8(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, provides a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and caning, if convicted.
Leang also faced two charges for possessing child pornography - 30 images of child sexual abuse found on a mobile phone in a hotel room at Jalan Mahagoni 9, Batang Kali, at 4.45am on July 23.
The charges are under Section 10 of the same act, carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison or a fine up to RM10,000, or both.
Additionally, Leang is charged with non-physical sexual abuse under Section 15(a)(ii) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 for forcing the child to expose her body for his viewing in the hotel room between 12.30pm on July 22 and 4.45am on July 23.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in imprison met term or a fine up to RM20,000, or both.
Johor State Prosecutor Abdul Ghafar Ab Latif informed the court that the charges are non-bailable.
However, he suggested a total bail amount of RM160,000 for all eight charges if bail were to be considered.
Defence lawyer Nur Zafirah Norizan requested for a lower bail as Leang is unemployed and relied on his 58-year-old mother, who is a single parent with no regular income.
The courts granted a RM50,000 with conditions, including no contact with prosecution witnesses, to report monthly to a nearest police and to surrender his international passports to the court.
The case is scheduled for document submission hearing on Sept 12.
During the proceedings, the victim's mother was present in the public gallery.
After the Johor Baru Sessions Court proceedings, Leang was transferred to the Kulai Magistrate's Court to face seven additional charges under Section 292 of the Penal Code.
The child was reported missing by her parents at the Bon Odori Festival near Eco Galleria at 8.30pm on July 20.
A police report was filed at 12.30am on July 21, which led police to launch a search operation.
Police arrested three individuals, including a woman, at 1.30pm on July 22, and another woman at 12.15am on July 23.
Four suspects, aged between 28 and 55, were initially remanded for four days before they were later released on police bail.
Leang, the fifth suspect, was arrested at 4.45am on July 23 at a budget hotel in Batang Kali, where police found the reported missing six-year-old girl.
He was remanded for seven days, which was extended by another six days, before he was supposed to released on bail last Sunday.
However, he rearrested the same day following the discovery of sex toys, adult pornography, and child sexual abuse material at his residence in Kulai.