A man has been arrested on suspicion of non-physical sexual assault against a 16-year-old

MIRI, 17 Oct: A local man aged 35 was arrested by police on suspicion of non-physical sexual assault against a 16-year-old female student in Pujut Village, here, on 15 October.

Miri Regional Police Chief, ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said that the party received a report about the incident on the same day at around 3:20 p.m.

According to him, the suspect who drove a vehicle was accused of approaching the victim in a half-naked state so as to show his shame before offering money in return for sex.

"The victim acted wisely by fleeing to a nearby contact's home to save himself before appearing to make a police report with his family", he said in a statement, today.

As a result of further investigation and information from the public, a police team from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Miri Regional Police Headquarters (IPD) managed to apprehend the suspect at Marina ParkCity Miri on 16 October around 2pm.

Police also confiscated the suspects' cell phones and vehicles believed to have been used during the incident.

Additionally, suspects with a criminal record are now detained until 20 October to assist in the investigation under Section 15 (a) (i) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.

"If convicted, the suspect could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to RM20,000 or both", he added.

In this regard, he urged any individual who has been a suspected victim with the same modus operandi to appear and make a police report to assist in the investigation.

He asserted that the police will not compromise on any criminal act and will ensure that the suspect is brought to court in accordance with the provisions of law. - TVS