IPOH, July 29 — A food delivery rider was again charged at the Sessions Court here today with raping a schoolgirl two weeks ago.

Afiq Yan Muhammad Farid Yan, 20, was accused of raping the 15-year-old girl in a room at a house in Jalan Felda Lasah, Kampung Pulau Mentimun, Sungai Siput Utara, between 1 and 2am, on July 17.

The charge, framed under Section 376 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum jail term of 30 years and whipping, upon conviction.

Yesterday, the man pleaded not guilty to committing the same offence against the same girl at a hotel here at around midnight on July 16.

Meanwhile, in the same court, two men, namely Muhammad Azeem Abdul Rahman, 20, Mohamad Ariff Haikal Arapin, 21, and an 18-year-old boy, were charged with gang-raping the same victim at an unnumbered house in Taman Dovenby, Sungai Siput Utara, between 1 and 2 am on July 14.

The offence under Section 375B of the Penal Code carries minimum imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum of 30 years, upon conviction.

All four of them, however, pleaded not guilty after the charge against them were read out before Judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamad.

Deputy public prosecutor Nur Asmaniza Muhamad prosecuted both cases while the accused were represented by lawyers Navin Punj, Mahajoth Singh and S. Sundarajan.

Ainul Shahrin allowed Afiq Yan bail of RM8,000 with one surety, and Muhammad Azeem as well as Mohamad Arif Haikal were granted bail of RM10,000, while the boy was allowed to be released on bail of RM 5,000. The cases have been set for mention on Sept 2.

Earlier, a 16-year-old girl who is also a friend of the victim pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Kangsar Magistrate’s Court to abetting Muhammad Azeem, Mohamad Ariff Haikal and the boy to rape the girl between 1 and 2 am on July 14.

She was charged under Section 375B of the Penal Code read together with Section 109 of the same code which carries a minimum jail term of 10 years and a maximum of 30 years, if convicted.

The teenage girl was also charged with abetting Afiq Yan in committing the offence on July 17 under Section 376 of the Penal Code read together with Section 109 of the same code which provides for a minimum jail term of 10 years and a maximum of 30 years and whipping, upon conviction.

The court allowed the girl bail of RM2,000 for each charge and ordered her not to disturb the victim as well as to report herself at the nearest police station once a month.

The court set Aug 5 for mention.

On July 20, police arrested six young men, aged between 16 and 21, on suspicion of raping a schoolgirl after her mother lodged a police report. — Bernama