A food stall operator was charged in the Magistrate’s Court here today with the offense of touching and squeezing the buttocks of a spa worker last Saturday.

The accused, Mohamad Azrullah Mohd. Rodzi, 38, however, pleaded not guilty immediately after the charge was read by the court interpreter before Magistrate Sharda Shienha Mohd Suleiman.

According to the charge, the accused was alleged to have outraged the modesty of a 21-year-old woman by touching and squeezing the victim’s buttocks while she was sweeping in front of the premises at about 11:40 AM in Taman Satu Lagenda, Melaka on 27 December.

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For this act, the accused was charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine or whipping or any two of these punishments, if convicted.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Azfar Mahmud proposed bail of RM6,000, but the accused, who was unrepresented, appealed for the amount to be reduced on the grounds that he is the sole breadwinner of his family.

Image Credit: Kosmo!

The accused, who is still single, also informed the court that no guarantor was present because his family members were unaware of the case he was facing.

The court then allowed the bail to be reduced to RM4,000 with one guarantor and set 23 February as the next mention date.

Featured Image Credit: Kosmo!, Freepik