PUTRAJAYA: A wushu coach was charged with 10 counts of sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl who was his student.

       Gjeblehim Bong Teck Fuu, 31, a former national athlete, however, pleaded not guilty after all the charges were read out to him before Sessions Court judge Wan Aima Naziha Wan Sulaiman.

       The offences were alleged to have taken place last February at a house in Taman Kajang Mewah, Kajang, Selangor.

       The accused was charged under Section 14 (a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, read together with Section 16 (1) of the same Act, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping, if convicted.

       The court allowed the accused bail of RM15,000 with one surety and set July 25 for mention.

       The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nor Shazwani Abdullah while lawyers Michelle Liu and Vam Shir Mooi represented the accused.

       Bong was arrested on May 11, a day after the complainant lodged a police report.

       Separately, a 25-year-old man will have to serve 20 years in jail and be whipped 19 times for sexually assaulting 12 female children and making or producing pornography.

       Facing the law: Bong (centre) being led to the Sessions Court in Putrajaya to be charged. — Bernama

       This was after Mohd Amir Mohd Layi, 25, withdrew his appeal before the Court of Appeal yesterday against his sentence of 15 years’ jail and 18 strokes of the rotan for three charges of sexual assault on three children and three charges of producing or making pornography.

       The accused, however, did not appeal against his five-year jail term and one stroke of the rotan imposed by the High Court for other sexual assault charges involving other child victims, two charges of inciting a child to an act of gross indecency and one charge of outraging the modesty of a child.

       A three-member panel comprising Justices Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said, Datuk M. Gunalan and Datuk Nordin Hassan subsequently struck out Mohd Amir’s appeal.

       Earlier, Mohd Amir’s lawyer Mohd Azlan Shah Mohd Allias told the court of his client’s wish to withdraw the appeal.

       Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari did not object.

       On April 2018, Mohd Amir was charged at the Kuala Terengganu Sessions Court with three counts of making pornography, 12 charges of sexually assaulting children, two charges of inciting a child to an act of gross indecency and one outraging modesty charge.

       According to the charge sheet, the offences were committed in several locations in the Marang district and Kuala Terengganu district in Terengganu between Jan 1, 2017 and March 26, 2018. — Bernama