PETALING JAYA: A religious school teacher was sentenced to 10 years' jail by the sessions court in Ampang today for sexually assaulting a student in 2022.
Judge Norshila Kamaruddin sentenced Halim Haron, 63, after finding him guilty of one count under Section 14(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
The court also ordered him to undergo counselling while in prison, and placed him under police supervision for two years after his release.
Halim had sexually assaulted the boy, who was 16 at the time, at a religious primary school in Rawang on Feb 26, 2022.
According to the facts of the case, the boy went to the school to meet Halim for “religious treatment” but was sexually assaulted.
The boy told his mother about the incident when he returned home. She advised him to lodge a police report, leading to Halim's arrest that evening.
In his defence, Halim denied the assault had taken place, claiming it was merely a “religious treatment” session.
However, the court found that he had failed to raise reasonable doubt over the prosecution’s case, describing his testimony as a bare denial.
“The court does not doubt the victim’s credibility as his testimony was consistent and he was able to answer all questions from the prosecution and defence,” Norshila said.
Stressing that schools should be safe places for students, she said Halim had instead used the school to commit a sexual offence.
Norshila also said Halim had abused his position, taken advantage of a minor, and exploited the trust placed in him by the boy’s parents.
“The accused should have protected the victim. Instead, he committed this shameful offence,” she said.