KOTA KINABALU: A local man is liable to a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping if found guilty of raping a 15-year-old student last year.
SUSPECTED RAPIST: Mohd Razalee (left) to be tried in Feb this year for allegedly raping a student.
High Court deputy registrar Zaini Fishir @ Fisal, who sat as a Sessions Court judge, set Feb 24 to 25, this year, for the trial of Mohd Razalee Diris, 19, after the latter disputed the facts of the case yesterday.
The accused, who was unrepresented by a lawyer, had earlier on pleaded guilty to raping the girl but later denied the facts of the case when they were read against him.
Mohd Razalee claimed that the alleged rape did not take place on the day as stated in the charge, prompting the court to reject the accused’s plea of guilty and fixed for his trial.
The accused allegedly raped the underage girl in a bush in Kampung Klias Kecil, Beaufort between 1am and 2.30am on Dec 17, 2010.
Deputy public prosecutor Chow Kong Siang told the court that the prosecution would be calling eight witnesses to testify against Mohd Razalee who is charged under Section 376 (1) of the Penal Code.
Mohd Razalee was remanded under Section 259 of the Criminal Procedure Code pending the disposal of the
case.
Meanwhile in the Magistrate’s Court, Tarmizi Hayata Shah Nizam, 22, was fined RM2,000 in default two months in jail for taking syabu.
Magistrate Norhamizah Saiffuddin meted out the fine on him after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 15 (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries a fine of not exceeding RM5,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both, on conviction.
Tarmizi was arrested at the Penampang district police station at 1.30pm on Oct 3, last year after his urine sample tested positive for syabu.
The court also ordered the accused to be placed under police supervision for two years.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Aiman Azwan Wan Fakhruddin prosecuted the case.