A TECHNICIAN was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 24 strokes of the cane by the Johor Bahru Sessions Court today, after being found guilty of 10 counts of trafficking babies, committing sexual assault and producing a video of child sexual abuse, two years ago.
The sentence was handed down by Judges Mohd Zamir Suhaimee, Nor Aziati Jaafar and Madihah Zainol in three separate chambers after examining several aspects.
This includes the guilty plea and appeal of the accused, Muhammad Imran Abdullah, 30, as well as the factual evidence of the case, the gravity of the offence committed and public interest.
For the baby trafficking case, Muhammad Imran was sentenced to 15 years in prison for each of the three counts of trafficking two five-day-old baby girls and a seven-month-old baby boy.
All the acts were committed in Taman Melor, Taman Kota Masai and Taman Scientex, Pasir Gudang between 9 pm, March 11, and 12 pm, November 24, 2024.
The charge was made under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007, which is read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for a life sentence or a minimum of five years' imprisonment and caning, if convicted.
In a separate court, the accused was charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a five-year-old child, in addition to being charged with producing sexual abuse material by recording a video of the victim while the act was being committed.
He was accused of committing the offence on April 5, 2024, at about 10.30 am to 11 am in a bedroom in a house in Kampung Pasir and charged under Section 14(a), Section 14(b) and Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
Madihah then sentenced him to a total of 10 years' imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane for the offence.
Meanwhile, in a separate court, Muhammad Imran also faced two charges under Section 14(a) and Section 5 of the same act for sexually assaulting two children aged between six and seven years and producing sexually abusive material.
The technician was charged with committing the offence around Kampung Pasir Putih, Pasir Gudang, at about 11 am on the same day.
Nor Aziati sentenced him to a total of 18 years' imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane for the offence involving the two children.
Earlier, in the appeal proceedings, the accused requested a reduced sentence because he had three young children and was supporting his sick parents.
He also expressed regret for his actions and promised not to repeat the offence.
However, the three judges in their judgment emphasised that the offence committed by the accused was serious and took into account the traumatic effects on the young victim.
In this regard, the court ordered the accused to serve a prison sentence starting from the date of arrest on July 18, 2025.
The court also ordered the accused to undergo rehabilitation counselling sessions throughout the sentence and to be under police supervision for two years after his release.
The case was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutors Nur Diyana Zubir, Nor Fadilah Johanuddin and Nur Farah Wahida Shahudin, while the accused was represented by lawyers Mohamed Imran Mohamed Sam and Haziq Ishak. – March 13, 2026
