MUAR: A practitioner of traditional medicine is facing a possible 80-year jail sentence and caning after being charged in the Sessions Court here today with the alleged rape and physical sexual abuse of a teenager.
The accused, Zemi Rahim, 50, who is also a Muay Thai trainer, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read out separately by an interpreter before Judge Irwan Suainbon.
According to the first and second charges, he is alleged to have committed sexual abuse and raped the victim, who was 14 years old at the time, while she was receiving treatment to 'remove a spell' at a house in Pagoh, near here, in November last year.
He is then charged with offences under Section 14 (d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which carries a punishment under Section 34 of the same act and Section 376 (1) of the Penal Code, which is imprisonment for up to 20 years and whipping for each charge.
For the third and fourth charges, he is once again accused of raping the victim last April, with the most recent incident reported to have occurred in July, all at the same location.
Based on the facts of the case, the victim, along with her family, had sought spiritual treatment for the victim.
The victim became pregnant between last year and July this year.
Muar district Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Raiz Muhkliz Azman Aziz, said the accused took the opportunity to commit the acts against the victim while she was undergoing treatment at his home.
"The victim found out she had been raped after attending a sexual crime awareness session at school in September, before reporting the incident on Oct 27," he said.
The accused had previously faced four charges of sexual abuse against a 16-year-old teenager but had pleaded not guilty in the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court, Melaka, last month.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Danial Munir conducted the prosecution, while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
Earlier, the prosecution had asked for the accused not to be allowed bail or for bail to be set at RM7,500 for each charge.
The court later denied bail for the accused and fixed December 12 for a re-mention of the case, the submission of chemical and medical reports, and the appointment of a lawyer.