{
  "id": 7260673,
  "title": "Man charged with sexually assaulting 6-year-old girl at mosque",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/man-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-6-year-old-girl-at-mosque-7260673",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T06:35:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/09/14/man-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-6-year-old-girl-at-mosque"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A 35-year-old man with a disability appeared in the Butterworth sessions court on September 4, 2023, to plead not guilty to the sexual assault of a six-year-old girl at a mosque in Permatang Pasir, near Butterworth. The incident is alleged to have taken place on September 3, 2023, at around 4pm at Masjid Jamek Haji Abdul Latiff. The charge under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and whipping upon conviction. The deputy public prosecutor, Wan Amira Ruzaini Wan Abdul Razak, declined to grant bail, citing the severity of the offense and the victim's young age. Naqieya Zulkernain, representing the accused via National Legal Aid Foundation, sought the minimum bail amount, noting her client's speech disorder, unemployment, and dependence on his self-employed brother. The court agreed to assess the accused's mental health and set October 14 for the re-mention of the case.",
  "summary": "The man, who has a disability, is accused of committing the offence at Masjid Jamek Haji Abdul Latiff at Permatang Pasir, near Butterworth, on Sept 3.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Man charged with sexually assaulting 6-year-old girl at mosque",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/man-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-6-year-old-girl-at-mosque",
        "published": "2026-09-14T06:35:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}