PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday upheld the conviction and 15-year jail sentence and four strokes of whipping on a former discipline teacher for raping a 15-year-old student about three years ago.
A three-member panel chaired by Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif unanimously dismissed Ahmad Shukran Ramli’s appeal against his conviction, ruling that there was overwhelming evidence against him.
He also said that the court did not see any reason to disturb the jail sentence imposed by the Sessions Court and upheld by the High Court as Ahmad Shukran was a teacher at the time of the offence and the victim was a student.
“This is a serious crime,” said Justice Md Raus, who also dismissed Ahmad Shukran’s appeal for a reduction of the jail term.
The two other judges on the panel were Court of Appeal judges Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof and Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat.
Ahmad Shukran was charged with raping the girl in a bedroom of a teachers’ quarters at a secondary school in Pahang at 3.30 pm on May 5, 2011.
On March 19 last year, the Sessions Court found him guilty and sentenced him to 15 years jail and ordered him to be given four strokes of the cane.
The High Court dismissed his appeal and upheld the Sessions Court’s decision on Sept 17, last year.
According to the facts of the case, Ahmad Shukran had telephoned the student’s mother to allow her daughter to go over to his quarters to do some project work for the school art club.
The girl’s mother initially refused to let her go but Ahmad Shukran told her that other students would also be at the quarters.
He then asked one of the student’s friends to go to her house to fetch her and bring her to his quarters, where he raped her.
Ahmad Shukran was represented by lawyer G Nanda Goban while deputy public prosecutor Kee Wei Lon appeared for the prosecution. — Bernama