George town: A part-time hotel worker has entered a guilty plea in the Sessions Court to charges related to the rape and commission of unnatural sex acts on an Australian woman.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, S. Prasanth, 25, made his plea before Judge Juraidah Abbas and requested additional time to secure legal representation. The charges against him stem from an incident where he allegedly raped the Australian woman in a Perodua Axia car and threatened her with a metal scissors at a cemetery in the Mount Erskine Estate, between 5.20 am and 6 am on June 28.

The charges fall under Section 376 (2) (b) of the Penal Code, which stipulates a maximum prison term of 30 years and whipping upon conviction. Prasanth also faces charges under Section 377C of the Penal Code for committing unnatural sex, which could result in a prison sentence ranging from five to 20 years and whipping if convicted.

The prosecution, led by Penang Prosecution Director Mohd Nordin Ismail and Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Jun Keong, argued against offering bail due to the gravity of the offence and its potential impact on Malaysia-Australia relations, given the victim's nationality. 'We do not want this matter to give a bad impression to foreign tourists who come to Malaysia. We cannot tolerate such offences,' stated Mohd Nordin.

Consequently, the court denied bail and scheduled the case for mention on July 31 for document submission and counsel appointment.