AMPANG: A 19-year-old teen pleaded guilty on Thursday ( Feb 27 ) to a charge of sexual assault involving a schoolgirl, 10, at a mosque in Selangor last week.
18 TikTok accounts of Malaysian media outlets that reported on the case’s closure were reportedly blocked by the social media giant during the incident, which was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV ).  ,
According to local news outlet the New Straits Times ( NST ), Muhamad Adam Haiqal Abdullah, a Persons with Disabilities card holder, entered a plea after the charge was read out to him before Judge Norshila Kamarudin at the Ampang Sessions Court on Thursday.  ,
On February 21, he was charged with allegedly molesting the girl at the Jamek Sungai Masin Mosque in Batang Kali at around 6o’clock in the morning.  ,
Images of the event, which has since gone viral, describes Adam sneaking into the children’s section of the temple’s meditation house and scooping up the girl while she was prostrating behind another congregation.
He was seen attempting to carry the child away unnoticed when he approached her from beyond. He subsequently fled when the sufferer resisted.  ,  ,
According to Section 14( a ) of the Physical Crimes Against Children Act, Adam may spend up to 20 years in prison or be convicted.
According to Sinar Harian, Norshila has set Mar 27 for imprisonment while the court is awaiting a cultural report from the security department.  ,  ,
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurfadzlin Mahmad Zulhasnan also made an offer for the accused to be granted bail at RM15, 000 ( US$ 3, 376 ) during the proceedings on Thursday.
According to Nurfadzlin,” He may even report to the police stop and be prohibited from harassing the victim and the prosecution see.”
This is because the offence’s location is close to the home where the sufferer life, and this is to stop the incident from repeating itself.
Adam, yet, said that he does not have a trustee.  ,
Since last Friday, the Hulu Selangor city authorities have been detained and have been keeping him for seven days after a report was made around 8:30 am.  ,
Director of the Selangor security office, Azmir Kassim, confirmed that studies revealed that Adam has had a crippled card since he was a young child.  ,
After the affair became popular, numerous Malay ministers have voiced their opinions.  ,
The target is protected by the Child Act of 2001, according to Minister for Women, Family, and Community Development, Nancy Shukri, who has urged the public to refrain from releasing films of the schoolgirl’s sexual assault.
Sharing images of her position, Nancy said, is very inappropriate.  ,
The secretary stated in a press conference on February 26 that” we urge those who receive the video or were present at the picture not to promote it because the victim is already traumatized by the incident.”  ,
According to news agency Bernama, Nancy stated that her department is ready to help the authorities in their investigation, particularly in regards to matters relating to the welfare of the victim and her family.  ,
She also urged temples to strengthen safety measures to prevent similar instances, particularly with Ramadan approaching.
“CCTV and additional safety measures should be in place to prevent people from exploiting the temple’s facilities”, Nancy said, as quoted by Bernama.  ,
Another secretary earlier said that the affair necessitated a thorough analysis and should serve as a lesson to dome managers to improve safety measures at their premises. Echoing Nancy’s comments.
He even emphasised the need for strong actions by the government.  ,
According to MinisterNa’im Mokhtar, a member of the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs,” I hope that if the assume is proven to have committed the offence, harsh action will be taken as a lesson to all,” according to a statement released by Free Malaysia Today on February 21.  ,
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil earlier on Monday reported that the Malaysian media outlets ‘ TikTok accounts were blocked due to artificial intelligence ( AI ) moderation.  ,
Even if the videos or screenshots do not depict physical activity or porn, TikTok’s community guidelines forbid the posting of any child sexual abuse material, including any pictures or clips of the original.  ,
Bernama and the television news channel Buletin TV3 are among the records TikTok has blocked. The ban was still in power as of 11.30am on Thursday.  ,
According to Fahmi, the Indonesian government and social media giant Facebook are negotiating to get the 18 records back.