SHAH ALAM: A 27-year-old priest was charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old teenager in June.
The accused, B. Moses Melchidezek, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him before Sessions Court judge Rasyihah Ghazali here today (Friday).
According to the first charge, the accused was alleged to have committed the offence by placing his finger on the victim's genitals.
The accused was also charged with placing the teenager's hand on his genitals, with both offences committed for sexual purposes.
The accused allegedly committed the offences in a church between 5pm and 7pm.
He faced a maximum 20 years imprisonment and also whipping upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Siti Nabilah Abd Rashid asked the court to impose RM10,000 bail for the accused.
However, his lawyer, Datuk N. Sivananthan, pleaded for minimum bail.
"My client is a priest at a church, and the alleged incident occurred at the church where he works.
"My client is also married and the complainant (victim) no longer resides at the church and will not be disturbed again," he said.
The court set bail at RM15,000 in one surety and also ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station monthly.
"You are also prohibited from harassing the victim and his family. If you violate this condition, the bail will be revoked," Rasyihah said.
The court also set Sept 19 for mention.