KOTA KINABALU: A married 30-year-old soldier was charged in the Sessions Court here with raping a female soldier.
Lance Corporal Muhammad Eric Elister Elvis was accused of raping the 22-year-old victim at a storeroom in the Lok Kawi Camp in Putatan at 6am on May 22.
However, no plea was recorded from him, pending a medical report.
Judge Abu Bakar Manat fixed July 15 to re-mention the case.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nur Syafiqah Suleiman requested that no bail be allowed as both the accused and the victim are in the army.
However, she said should the court decide to allow bail, that it be set at RM20,000 and for the accused to report to the Penampang police station once every two weeks, pending disposal of the case.
Counsel Farazwin Haxdy, who represented the accused, applied for bail to be allowed, saying that the medical report would require time to be completed as well as highlighting the current Covid-19 pandemic.
She also submitted that the accused had no disciplinary report, no flight risk, and no opportunity of tampering with witnesses or the alleged victim as he was under supervision and had to report daily to his superior.
The court granted bail of RM10,000 but only RM7,000 to be deposited to the court with two local sureties and one of the sureties must be his wife.
The court also set additional conditions that the accused must report himself to the Investigating officer once a month and his international passport be kept by the court pending disposal of the case.
Also, the court prohibited the accused from approaching any of the prosecution witnesses and the victim throughout the case.
The alleged offence under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.