IPOH: An uncle of the Indonesian domestic helper allegedly raped by former state executive council member Paul Yong told the High Court here that the victim had mentioned an “orang jahat” (bad person).

       Muhammad Rusdi, 51, from Sumbawa in Indonesia said when he and the victim’s mother met her at the Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, on Sept 19, 2019, she (the victim) was crying, and hugged her mother.

       “She told us that she was forced to stay at the hostel at the Indonesian Embassy.

       “Besides that, she also told us that there was a bad person, and she wanted to go back to Indonesia with us,” he said when testifying in the Tronoh assemblyman's rape trial on Thursday (March 31) before Judge Abdul Wahab Mohamed.

       When Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Fitri Sadarudin asked if Rusdi knew that the "bad person" she was referring to could have been her boss as he raped her, Rusdi disagreed.

       Rusdi also said that the victim wanted to tell him and her mother a secret, but an officer from the embassy asked them to leave the hostel before she could do so.

       He said that was the only one time that they managed to meet the victim.

       Mohd Fitri suggested to Rusdi that the secret the victim wanted to tell them was that she was raped by her employer, to which he disagreed.

       Rusdi also said that during their meeting, the victim had never mentioned about her being raped.

       “I understand that a police report was lodged by the victim’s mother after the meeting, so my question is shouldn’t the mother be here testifying,” Mohd Fitri asked.

       Rusdi said his sister-in-law was not feeling well, as she had pains in her hands, and had heart problems thus she could not travel here from Indonesia.

       When lead counsel Datuk Rajpal Singh asked Rusdi if he had ever met the victim’s employer before, he answered no.

       Rajpal further asked Rusdi if the victim had informed him who the bad person she was referring to, Rusdi replied no.

       On Dec 7, Yong was ordered to enter his defence for allegedly raping the helper more than two years ago.

       Justice Abdul Wahab had ruled that there was a prima facie case against Yong after taking into consideration all the evidence submitted throughout the trial.

       On Aug 23, 2019, Yong claimed trial at the Ipoh Sessions Court to a charge of raping his then 23-year-old domestic helper.

       The offence was allegedly committed in a room on the top floor of his house in Meru Desa Park between 8.15pm and 9.15pm on July 7 that year.

       Judge Abdul Wahab fixed May 17 for submissions to be heard.