Two accused released on bail in underage prostitution case
LAWAS: Two women accused of prostituting an underage girl were released on RM8,000 bail each with two sureties yesterday.
The two accused were the owner of an entertainment outlet and the victim's mother.
They were charged under Section 371 (1) (a) of the Penal Code which carries the maximum 15 years' jail and whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Second class magistrate Keli Mareng made the order after the charge was read in front of him at Lawas District Office.
Both accused were represented by counsel Willie Liau with no plea recorded.
The magistrate issued an order barring the two accused from coming into contact with and communicating with the victim.
He also ordered the duo to report to Lawas District Criminal Investigation Department (CID) once a week.
The trial date would be fixed later.
Meanwhile, a 29-year-old male suspect surrendered himself on Thursday to facilitate the investigation into the case.
State Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Dev Kumar said in a statement that the suspect surrendered to police around 12.10pm and was then produced in court for a remand order.
The case is being investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape and Section 43 (1) (a)& (d) of the Child Act 2001 for child prostitution.