'How did serial paedophile escaped from police radar?'
Suspected paedophile Richard Huckle went on a spree abusing
at least 23 children from mainly poor communities in Kuala Lumpur, but were the
Malaysian police aware of it?
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching raised this question after UK
authorities brought 91 charges against Huckle who admitted to the offences
against his victims aged between six months and 12 years from 2006 to 2014.
"While I am thankful that he is now brought to book by
the UK authority, I demand explanation from the Royal Malaysian Police on
whether any police reports were lodged against Huckle while he was here in
Malaysia between 2006 and 2014.
"If indeed police reports by the victims’ families were
lodged against Huckle, then the next question will be, what have the police
done following the reports?" she said in a statement today.
Teo said the British man was believed to have abused up to
200 children and it was unlikely that this could have gone unnoticed.
"It is therefore hard to believe that none of the
parents or guardians of these children had noticed anything unusual and none of
them had ever lodged police report against this paedophile.
"If police reports were lodged and proper actions had
been taken, surely we can prevent many children from becoming victims,"
she said.
Teo also urged the Women, Family and Community Development
Ministry to urgently seek information from the UK authorities and identify the
victims to assist them.
"We must not only provide counselling to the victims,
but also ascertain if the parents or the guardians have been negligent in
taking care of the children," she said.
Teo pointed out that Section 21(1) of the Child Act 2001
provides a fine up to RM20,000, imprisonment up to 10 years or both for any
person who cause a child under their care to be abused due to negligence.
“The penalty has been further increased to RM50,000 and 20
years under Child Act (Amendment) Bill 2016, which was passed in Dewan Raykat
on April 7, 2016," she said.
However, Teo said the heftier penalty would carry no meaning
if the law is not enforced.
Source from –MKINI-
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