Form Six student sent to Henry Gurney for using child pornography as income source

The court complex in Kuching.

By Dorcas Ting

KUCHING, May 13: A 19-year-old Form Six student who admitted to using child pornography-related activities as a source of income has been ordered by the Sessions Court to be sent to the Henry Gurney School in Kuching until he turns 21.

Judge Musli Ab Hamid also directed the youth to undergo rehabilitation counselling throughout his detention under Section 26(1) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act (SOACA) 2017.

In addition, the court ordered that he be placed under police supervision for two years after his release, under the supervision of the Bau Police Station, in accordance with Section 27(1) of SOACA 2017.

The judge further instructed the school administration to ensure the teenager is able to complete his Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations while serving his detention.

The case was mentioned today for the presentation of the accused’s social report before sentencing was handed down.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Marvind Kaliyani appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented.

The teenager had earlier pleaded guilty on April 10, 2026, to two charges linked to child pornography offences.

For the first charge, he admitted involvement in activities connected to a child pornography business under Section 8 of SOACA 2017, which carries a maximum jail term of 15 years and a minimum of three strokes of the cane upon conviction.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography material on his smartphone under Section 10 of the same Act, which provides for a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both.

The offences were committed at about 9.10pm on April 7, 2026, at a village in Bau.

The teenager was previously arrested during a police raid in Bau on April 8, 2026, at about 6.10pm, following intelligence gathered by police.

According to Bau District Police chief Supt Mohd Haide A. Rahman, inspections of the suspect’s mobile phone uncovered 936 obscene videos and 4,035 pornographic images stored in the device.

Initial investigations found that the suspect allegedly accessed websites containing adult and child sexual content, as well as distributed such material via the Telegram application and promoted it on social media platforms.

Police said the teenager had also admitted that the activity served as his source of income. — DayakDaily