Seremban hostel warden sentenced to six years' prison for sodomising five boys under 12

Malay Mail

6 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — The Seremban Sessions Court today sentenced a hostel warden to six years imprisonment and four strokes of the cane after he admitted guilt to 12 charges involving sexual crimes against seven students including sodomy.
The defendant, 38-year-old Mohd Khairi Fitri Baharom, who worked as both a teacher and dormitory supervisor at the educational facility, received his punishment from Judge Datin Surita Budin following his guilty plea, the New Straits Times reported.
Six of the criminal charges involved the accused engaging in unnatural sexual acts with five children who were between nine and twelve years old during the time these incidents took place.
These particular offences fall under Section 377C of the Penal Code, which mandates a minimum five-year prison term and maximum twenty-year sentence, plus corporal punishment.
The remaining six charges concerned physical sexual assault committed against six children in the same age range of nine to twelve years old.
These additional crimes violate Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which allows for penalties of up to two decades in prison along with caning.
The criminal activities occurred at the educational institution located in Batu Kikir, Jempol, and at a residence in Kampung Rembang Panas, Kuala Pilah, spanning from March 2024 through January of this year.
Defence attorney Ahmad Loqman Hakim Ahmad Khairie appealed for mercy, explaining that his unmarried client cares for his sick mother and requesting the court impose the lightest possible sentence.
The prosecution team, consisting of deputy public prosecutors Norazihah Asmuni and Nurul Balkis Zunaidi, called for severe punishment appropriate to the gravity of the offenses, saying that the accused violated his duty to safeguard the students under his care.
The judge ruled that the prison term would commence from May 25, the date of his arrest, and additionally mandated that he complete rehabilitation counselling and remain under police monitoring for one year following his release.