KUALA LUMPUR: A tuition teacher was jailed six years and ordered to be caned three times by the Sessions Court today for sexually assaulting a Year 1 pupil four years ago.
Judge Tasnim Abu Bakar ordered Hong Meng Keat, 25, to serve the sentence starting from today after he changed his plea to guilty at the end of the defence case.
Tasnim ruled that Hong must undergo rehabilitation counselling while in prison and be put on police surveillance for a year after his release.
Hong was charged with committing the act with sexual intent on his 7-year-old pupil between 7pm and 9pm at a house in Sentul in August 2020.
The charge under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act provides for a maximum 20-year jail term and whipping.
The facts of the case read that the accused had touch the boy's private parts while tutoring him and it was witnessed by a younger sibling.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Ikhwan Mohd Nasir asked the court to mete out an appropriate sentence as the accused should be protecting the child as someone entrusted by the victim's parents as a tutor.
"He was paid to tutor the boy who should be learning in peace instead of worrying about any sexual assault. But the accused took advantage by outraging the boy's modesty.
"He is in trauma and the heinous act will be etched in his memory," he said.
Ikhwan asked the court to impose a lengthy prison sentence on Hong to reflect the severity of the offence as Parliament had enacted the act in order to protect the vulnerable.
"The sexual offence has impacted the victim and his family. He had gone on trial and police investigations, something a child should not go through.
"The accused has paedophilic tendencies and should be put in jail for a long time to protect society," he said.
In mitigation, defence lawyer K. Syama Sundar asked for Hong to be placed on a good behaviour bond.
"He is a first time offender and remorseful for his actions. He should be given a chance to turn over a new leaf instead of being in prison with hardcore criminals," he pleaded.