Saril Sarip, 42, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him before judge Haderiah Siri.

Based on the charge sheet, he is accused of voluntarily committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature on the 18-year-old without consent.

The offence was allegedly committed at a hair salon operated by the accused, located in Taman Tasik Utama, at around 4.15pm on Jan 17, Sinar Harian reported.

The charge was framed under Section 377C of the Penal Code, punishable with imprisonment of not less than five years but not more than 20 years as well as whipping upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Ali Hussain asked for bail to be set at RM10,000.

He also urged the court to order the accused to refrain from tampering with witnesses and to report to the Durian Tunggal police station once a month pending the conclusion of the case.

Saril’s lawyer, L Isharveen, however asked for a lower bail amount as his client only earns between RM2,000 and RM2,500 monthly.

Isharveen also said his client runs his own business and is supporting his 78-year-old mother who has hypertension and intestinal issues, in addition to caring for his unmarried sister.

The court set bail at RM5,000 with one surety, along with the additional conditions requested by the deputy public prosecutor.

The court also fixed Feb 24 for case mention.