50 years’ jail for sexual assault on two teenage boys

MALACCA: A father of three was sentenced to 50 years’ jail and four strokes of the cane by the sessions court on six counts of committing physical and non-physical sexual assault on two teenage boys.

Judge Elesabet Paya Wan handed down the sentence on fruit trader Md Zhafran Bakar, 31, after he pleaded guilty.

The unrepresented man was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and a stroke of the cane on each of the four charges for physical sexual assault, and five years’ jail on each count for the two charges of committing non-physical sexual assault by making the boys watch pornography.

He was ordered to serve the sentences concurrently from the date of his arrest on Oct 21, meaning he would be in jail for 10 years.

According to the facts of the case, for the first four charges, Md Zhafran had asked the 14 and 15year-old victims, who are related to him, to meet for dinner with offers of cigarettes, handphones and part time jobs, before taking them to a hotel in Batu Berendam, between 1.05am and 4.30am on Oct 21.

The charges, under Section 14(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, carry a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping.

Md Zhafran had made the boys watch a pornographic video on his handphone in a car at the Batu Berendam wholesale market area at about 12.30am the same day.

Those charges were made under Section 15(e) of the same law, which provides up to 10 years’ jail, or maximum fine of RM20,000.

In mitigation, Md Zhafran said he had a wife and three young children to support.

The prosecution, conducted by DPP Siti Ruvinna Mohd Rawi, said the offences were serious.

“A father with three children should be protecting them, not doing what he did,” she said.