KUALA BERANG: An ice factory worker pleaded guilty at the magistrate's court here today to two charges of possessing child sexual abuse materials and pornographic videos last week.
Muhammad Affandi Mohd Azi, 33, was charged with committing the offence at a house in Kampung Batangan at 8.50pm on Dec 23.
He is charged under Section 10 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of RM10,000, or both, upon conviction.
The man also faces charges under Section 292 of the Penal Code, which carries the maximum three years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, if convicted.
Prosecuting officer Assistant Superintendent Tuan Norhasnida Tuan Nordin offered bail of RM12,000 for both offences.
The accused, who was not represented, pleaded for a lower bail on the grounds of financial constraints and being the sole breadwinner in the family.
Magistrate Zur Azureen Zainalkefli allowed bail of RM8,000 with one surety and set Jan 15 for sentencing at the Marang magistrate's court.
The police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) launched a blitz on individuals suspected of possessing and distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) last week.
The operation, codenamed "Op Pedo Bersepadu PDRM-MCMC", spearheaded by Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women, and Child Investigations Division (D11), involved a series of coordinated raids across six states; Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Terengganu, Penang and Perak.
The raids, which saw the authorities descend on homes in affluent neighbourhoods as well as middle and low-cost areas, led to the arrest of 13 suspects.
It also resulted in the seizure of 40,000 CSAM and pornographic content from various devices including computers, cell phones and external hard disks.
The ages of those arrested ranged between 20 and 74. Some of the suspects admitted to finding and buying explicit content via social media and messaging platforms such as X and Telegram.
The crackdown followed surveillance and undercover work by the police, supported by intelligence provided by MCMC.
The raiding parties also comprised Bukit Aman's Forensic Laboratory Division (D10), Technical Assistance Division (D6) and Criminal Investigation Department.
The raids came after the New Straits Times' weeklong series of reports on the rampant sale of Malaysian-made explicit content, including CSAM, on social media and messaging platforms.