JOHOR BARU: A religious teacher has been charged with seven counts of rape and sexual assault against a student with disabilities at the Sessions Court here.
The alleged offences took place between December last year and August this year.
The accused, Mohd Zulkurnain Mohd Zain, 34, pleaded not guilty after all charges were read before judge Siti Noraida Sulaiman.
Zulkurnain is facing two charges of rape as well as five charges of sexual assault against the victim, who is now 15 years old.
All offences were allegedly committed between 3.30pm and 4.30pm from December last year to three months ago in a storeroom of a special education school.
For the rape charges, the accused faces a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment and caning, if convicted.
For committing sexual assault against the victim, he also faces a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment and caning, if convicted.
The case is being prosecuted by deputy public prosecutor Nur Farah Wahida Shahudin, and the accused is represented by Iskandar Shah Ibrahim.
Nur Farah Wahida requested the court to impose bail of RM60,000 in one surety for all seven charges, along with conditions requiring the accused to report to the nearest police station once a month and to surrender his passport to the court.
However, the accused's lawyer requested the court to reduce the proposed bail to RM30,000.
"The accused is a civil servant earning a gross salary of RM3,000 per month, and his wife earns only RM1,800 per month, and he is also suffering from appendicitis," said Iskandar Shah.
The judge ultimately set bail at RM35,000 in one surety, along with the conditions requested by Nur Farah Wahida.
The court then scheduled Dec 30 for case mention and submission of documents.