Religious Teacher Pleads Not Guilty To 10 Charges Of Rape And 7 Charges Of Sexual Assault On Minors

By Quinny Tan  •  30 Jun 2022 in News

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In a country where religious public figures are prominent for their jarring opinions and actions, they seem to make headlines too often.

Ashaari Ibrahim, religious teacher, has been slapped with ten charges of rape and seven charges of sexual assault over the course of 7 years.

According to Malay Mail, the 74-year-old was first taken before Sessions Court judges Noor Aini Yusof where he was charged with three counts each of rape and sexual assault against the younger girl at a house in a village in Jalan Baru in Prai in 2018 when she was seven years old.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhamad Syeqal Che Murat did not offer any bail for all the charges. Left unrepresented, he told the court that he was unsure if there was anyone who could bail him out.

He was charged under Section 376(1)(e) of the Penal Code for committing rape against the victim, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.

In the same court, he was later charged with three additional counts of sexual harassment on the same victim.

He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 that carries imprisonment for up to 20 years and is also liable to whipping.

He pled not guilty to all 6 charges.

In another court hearing where judge Norhayati Mohamed Yunus was residing, Ashaari was charged with seven counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault on another minor between Jan 1, 2014, and early March 2021. The minor was between ages 5 and 11-years-old.

He was charged under Section 376(1)(e) of the Penal Code for committing rape against the victim, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.

In the same court before Norhayati, he was then charged with four counts of sexually assaulting the same victim between Jan 1, 2018, and early March 2021 when the victim was between the ages of nine and 12, at the same location.

He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 that carries imprisonment for up to 20 years and is also liable to whipping.

The religious teacher pled not guilty to these charges as well.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Aisyah Al Humayrah Kamaruzaman informed the court that no bail would be granted, and that there are 10 more minors who have made claims to be victims of the same man as well.

“If he is out on bail they (the minors) might be afraid to cooperate and give their statements to the police,” she said.

Norhayati set the date for July 29 for case mention pending documents. She also motioned for Ashaari to appoint a lawyer at this time.