Police: All suspects of child molester were intoxicated

KENINGAU: Police here received six reports of molestation last month and all the suspects were intoxicated when committing the offence.

“The suspects are aged between 19 and 44 comprising five locals and one foreigner. They have been detained after the reports were made,” said district police chief DSP Zahari Mohammed yesterday.

All of them were reported to have fondled their underage victims on the chest in public areas and their cases investigated under Section 354 of Penal Code.

If convicted in court, the offender can be imprisoned for up to 10 years or whipped or both.

The offences were committed in the Keningau and Tambunan town areas as well as several remote parts of the district.

Meanwhile, Zahari said in the first six months this year there were 26 violent crimes recorded and these included rape, molest and causing hurt in a fight when under influence of alcohol.

There were 25 similar cases reported in the same period last year.

There was a slight drop in property crime during the first half of this year with 54 cases recorded compared to 61 in the same period last year.