2 Sabah students charged with bullying juniors

In Sabah, two secondary school students have been charged with bullying their junior peers, according to prosecutors. The allegations emerged from a case that took place at a school in Papar, Sabah, in September of the previous year. One of the accused, who is 17 years old, pleaded guilty to assaulting two juniors. The other student, aged 16, entered a not guilty plea for bullying one of their peers.

The 17-year-old was charged with voluntarily causing hurt under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which carries a potential penalty of up to one year imprisonment, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both upon conviction. The 16-year-old was accused of causing harassment, distress, fear, or alarm to the victim, under Section 507B of the Penal Code, with a maximum punishment of three years in jail, a fine, or both if found guilty.

Magistrate Zuraini Ali Musa set a date of October 29 for the students to make their initial appearance and present a behavior report. Both accused juveniles were granted bail in the amount of RM3,000 each. The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Kareena Kaur Gill Karamjit Singh, and the students were represented by counsel.