Kota Kinabalu: A silat coach was sentenced by the Sessions Court here on Tuesday to a total of nine years’ jail and three strokes of the cane for sexually harassing his 15-year-old student three years ago.
Judge Marlina Ibrahim meted out the sentence to Yuslaine Awang Yusof, 40, who on July 10 changed his plea to guilty to committing the offence by hugging the victim and touching her breasts at night on Aug 26, 2023.
The offence under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, read together with Section 16(1) of the same Act, carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping.
Section 16 of the Act provides for imprisonment of up to five years and a mandatory minimum of two strokes of the cane upon conviction.
On Tuesday, the court sentenced Yuslaine to seven years’ jail and one stroke of the cane under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, and two years’ jail and two strokes of the cane under Section 16 of the same Act.
The court ordered the seven-year jail term to run concurrently with the three-year prison sentence imposed on him on June 29 this year, while the two-year sentence is to run consecutively after the completion of the first sentence, making his effective jail term nine years.
The court also ordered Yuslaine to pay RM8,000 in compensation to the victim through her mother or guardian. In default of payment, he is to serve an additional six months’ imprisonment.
Pursuant to Section 26(1) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, Yuslaine was also ordered to undergo rehabilitation counselling throughout his imprisonment.
The court further ordered him to be placed under police supervision for one year under Section 27 of the same Act after completing his sentence.
On June 29, Yuslaine was sentenced by the Magistrate’s Court to three years’ jail and one stroke of the cane after being found guilty following a full trial of outraging the modesty of another of his students, then aged 18, in the same year.
For that offence, he was convicted under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine, whipping, or any two of those punishments upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor DK Afiqah Alya AK Johari @ Pg Johari appeared for the prosecution, while Yuslaine was represented by counsel Michelle Usman.
