Syahril Reza Omar, 43, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read before judge Nabisha Ibrahim, Berita Harian reported.

Syahril was charged with sexually assaulting the victim by kissing his face and neck in the women’s toilet of a mosque in Kamunting at around 12.30pm on July 11.

The charge was framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which provides for a maximum of 20 years in prison and a whipping, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Shabani Bahari proposed bail of RM30,000 but lawyer Syed Saifullizan Syed Abd Razak from the National Legal Aid Foundation asked for a lower amount, saying his client only received a monthly allowance of RM400 a month as a gravedigger.

He also said that Syahril was a single father with three children aged eight to 19 to care for.

Nabisha allowed bail of RM8,000, ordered Syahril to report to the cops every month, and fixed Aug 19 for case mention.