Judge Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim said the guilty plea by Roslan Abas, 56, was conditional and therefore the case must go to trial.

“A guilty plea must be unconditional, and the defendant must acknowledge the facts of the case. Since this is not the case, the case will proceed to trial to give you a chance to prove your innocence,” said the judge.

The court scheduled July 29 for case mention. Roslan was granted bail of RM3,000 in one surety and was ordered not to tamper with the witnesses.

Earlier, after the charge and facts of the case were read by the court interpreter, Roslan, a scrap collector, pleaded guilty but said he had given his son a key.

“I gave him a key, but he refused to come inside. It’s okay, I understand. I will just plead guilty,” he said before Che Wan Zaidi rejected his plea.

According to the charge, Roslan neglected his 14-year-old son by letting him sleep in the corridor of their flat in Pasir Gudang from 10pm on July 7 to 8am on July 9.

He was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a fine of up to RM50,000 or a maximum imprisonment of 20 years, or both, upon conviction.

The offence can also be punished under Section 31(1) of the same Act, which allows the court to order the convicted individual to complete a good behaviour bond, in addition to any other sentence.

Deputy public prosecutor Sharifah Natasha Syed Ahmad handled the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented.

Last week, Seri Alam police chief Sohaimi Ishak said a married couple, aged 56 and 54, were arrested after several photos of their son allegedly being forced to sleep outside their flat unit circulated on social media.