Utusan Malaysia reported that Hanafi Hassan entered his plea after all the charges were read out before judge Zulkpli Abdullah.

Under the first to fourth charges, he was accused of sexually assaulting a boy from when he was nine years and four months old until he was 11 years and nine months old.

The offences were committed in the bathroom of Masjid Kusial Bharu, Tanah Merah (May 2023 and Oct 11, 2025); a barbershop storeroom in Kusial (March 16, 2024); and the bathroom of Masjid Al Falah Manah 1 (Jan 26, 2025).

Under the fifth to seventh charges, Hanafi was accused of committing the same offence against a boy aged nine years and 11 months in the storeroom of Masjid Kusial Bharu on Sept 25, Oct 2 and Oct 24 in 2025.

Under the eighth and ninth charges, he was accused of committing the same offence against a boy aged 11 years and two months at the bathroom of Masjid Jamek Ismail Petra in Tanah Merah on Nov 23 and Dec 7, 2025.

All the charges were brought under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which provides for up to 20 years’ jail and whipping.

The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Siti Aiysha Na’ilah Harizan, while Hanafi was unrepresented.

Hanafi pleaded for a lighter sentence, saying he regretted his actions. He added that he is the sole breadwinner for his family and supported a disabled child.

However, the prosecution requested a commensurate sentence, saying Hanafi had traumatised his young victims with the repeated assaults. Siti Aiysha told the court that Hanafi gave his victims gifts such as shoes, phone chargers and SIM cards, and threatened to withhold Quran teaching if they refused to do as he asked.

In addition to the whipping and jail sentence, set to begin from the date of his arrest on May 1, the court also ordered Hanafi to undergo rehabilitative counselling while in jail, and police monitoring for three years after he completes his sentence.