A FORMER principal of a religious boarding school has been sentenced to 112 years’ imprisonment and 32 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here after pleading guilty to 16 charges of physically molesting six male students aged between 12 and 13.
Abdul Hadi Harun, 37, received the sentence from Judge Sayani Mohd Nor on Monday, who considered both the prosecution’s aggravating arguments and the defence’s mitigation plea before delivering the verdict.
The offences took place between May and 29 June 2022, in the toilets of the madrasah and at the bathroom of a house in Batu Pahat. According to court proceedings, the acts occurred at various times, including early mornings and late at night.
He was charged under Sections 14(a), (b) and (d), read together with Section 16 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017. Section 14 allows for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and whipping, while Section 16 provides for an additional five years' imprisonment and no fewer than two strokes of the cane.
The facts of the case reveal that at 12.27pm on 30 June 2022, the school management lodged a police report after receiving allegations from students about the then-principal's misconduct.
Subsequent investigations confirmed that six victims were involved. Abdul Hadi was arrested at 9.45pm the same day.
Police findings also revealed that the accused had intimidated the boys, warning them not to speak of the abuse.
Deputy public prosecutor Diyana Najihah Muhamed Fauzi led the prosecution, while Abdul Hadi was represented by lawyer Mohd Razak Shariff.
The court imposed a five-year prison term for each charge under Section 14, and an additional two years and two strokes of the cane for each count under Section 16.
The judge ordered the prison terms to run concurrently within each section – meaning the effective prison term stands at seven years.
However, the total number of whippings was reduced to 24, in accordance with Section 288 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which caps the maximum number of strokes that may be administered. - August 18, 2025
