A SILAT masterr was charged in the Kota Bahru Sessions Court today with four counts of physical sexual assault by molesting and hugging three teenagers aged 15 to 17 who were his students.
The accused, Faizul Yusoff, 54, however, pleaded not guilty after all the charges were read before Judge Zulkifli Abllah.
According to the first charge, the accused is charged with molesting a 15-year-old male teenager in a hotel room on Jalan Pantai Cahaya Bulan at about 9pm on February 13.
For the second charge, the accused is accused of causing the same victim to touch him at the hotel at about 3am the next day.
Based on the third charge, Faizul is charged with hugging and touching a 17-year-old male teenager at a homestay in Kadok at about 1am on November 13, 2023.
According to the fourth charge sheet, the accused is again accused of molesting another 17-year-old boy at a homestay in Bachok near here at about 3am on January 28.
The four charges were brought under Sections 14(a) and 14(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 which provides for a prison sentence of up to 20 years and whipping if convicted.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Kamarul Hasyime Rosli, while the accused was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Nur Alyaa Mohd. Zain.
Earlier, Kamarul Hasyime requested that no bail be granted to the accused since the case involved a minor.
Nur Alyaa in her appeal asked the court to grant bail to the accused who is the sole breadwinner of the family and does not have a permanent job.
"The accused also suffered a stroke and needs to undergo follow-up treatment. Therefore, it is hoped that the court will grant bail and the accused will also promise to cooperate throughout the trial," she said.
The court then allowed bail of RM40,000 with one surety for all four charges, in addition to setting additional conditions, namely not being allowed to disturb the victim and prosecution witnesses and reporting to the nearest police station.
The court also set July 27 for the case to be mentioned again. The accused did not pay the bail. - June 25, 2025
