The plea was made after the charge, framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, was read out to him before magistrate Normaizan Rahim.

He faces a jail term of up to 20 years and is liable to whipping.

According to the charge sheet, the offence was committed at the school’s dormitory in Hulu Langat, where the offender was said to have hugged, kissed and forced the 13-year-old victim to touch his penis in mid-April, at about 2.30pm. No specific date was mentioned.

The accused was charged as a minor as the incident took place when he was 17 years old.

Deputy public prosecutor S Kirthana asked for bail to be set at RM8,000. However, defence lawyer A Rahman Nasir sought a lower bail, saying the father of the accused only earns RM5,000 a month as a teacher at the religious school.

The magistrate fixed bail at RM3,000 with one surety. She also set June 18 for the submission of a report from the social welfare department and sentencing.