Bomoh loses final appeal, begins 5-year jail term for sexual offences

A 50-year-old traditional healer, known as a "bomoh," has begun serving a five-year jail sentence after the Court of Appeal rejected his final appeal against a conviction for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old girl. The three-judge panel, led by Justice Noorin Badaruddin, determined there was no reason to overturn the earlier rulings from the sessions court and the High Court.

The trial judge's assessment that the appellant was guilty was deemed correct by Justice Noorin, who sat with Justices Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid and Amarjeet Singh. Following the appeal dismissal, a warrant was issued for Afendi Hassan to commence serving his sentence. He had previously been released on bail while awaiting the appeal's outcome.

The offenses took place at a residence in Setia Ecohill, Semenyih, Selangor, on July 8 and 9, 2020. The victim had initially met Afendi through her mother on a social media platform. Afendi had claimed to be a traditional healer, promising to address disturbances caused by black magic. He allegedly used this supposed treatment as justification for the sexual acts, which the victim testified occurred without her consent.

During the trial, the victim recounted that Afendi utilized his purported medical expertise to carry out the assaults. Afendi was represented by attorney Adi Zulkarnain Zulkafli, while deputy public prosecutor Siti Rafidah Zainuddin prosecuted the case.