No plea was recorded from Kenneth Ong, 42, as he did not understand the charge read to him in Malay before judge Hakim Osman Affendi Shalleh, Kosmo reported.

After Ong requested for the charge to be read in Mandarin, the court set Sept 22 for remention of the case with an interpreter present.

Ong is accused of abusing the six-year-old girl and causing her physical injuries at a house in Kampung Merdeka, Batu Pahat, from February to September.

The charge under Section 31(1)(a) of the Children’s Act 2001 provides for a fine of up to RM50,000 or up to 10 years’ imprisonment, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Sharifah Natasha Syed Ahmad appeared for the prosecution, while Ong was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Tan Song Yan.

The prosecution proposed bail of RM30,000 but the court set the amount at RM10,000, with Ong required to report to a nearby police station once a month, not to harass the victim or prosecution witnesses, and surrender his passport until the disposal of the case.