Beach boy charged with outraging modesty
BALIK PULAU: A beach boy was charged at the magistrate’s court here yesterday with assault with intent to outrage the modesty of a Qatari tourist last month.
However, magistrate Nur Azzuin Abdul Moati postponed the case to Aug 15 for the appointment of a language interpreter to translate the charges for the accused, Sayed Salam Abu Bakar Sidik, 31, a Rohingya United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees card holder.
During the proceedings, a court interpreter read a charge under Section 354 of the Penal Code against Sayed for committing the offence against the woman.
The offence carries a maximum 10 years’ jail and a fine or whipping, or both, upon conviction.
Sayed, who is unrepresented, is accused of committing the offence at the Monkey Beach in Teluk Bahang at 3.30pm on July 30. No plea was recorded.
Sayed, whose wife was at the proceedings, was denied bail and will remain in remand until case mention.
On Saturday, it was reported that police arrested three beach boys at Monkey Beach for allegedly trying to rape a Qatari tourist last Monday.
The suspects included two Rohingya, aged 31 and 28, and a Bangladeshi, 43.
Southwest district police chief Superintendent A.A. Anbalagan said the Qatari student, 19, and her family were eating at a stall when she got up and walked along the beach to take photographs alone.
The girl asked two of the beach boys, who were wearing ninja masks, about a horse-riding service. One of them told her that the service was at a forest trail near the beach, to which he led her.
When they got to a forested area, he allegedly started behaving aggressively and held the victim’s hands behind her and pulled her back, causing the girl to fall.
He allegedly pulled his shorts down, pulled the victim’s pants to her knees and tried to rape her, but failed. He ejaculated on the victim’s private parts and fled.
The other suspects stood guard during the incident.
Police are awaiting receipt of Immigration records on the Bangladeshi, while the other Rohingya will be made a prosecution witness. The woman returned to Qatar on Saturday.