Man charged with rape of holidaying acquaintance at Kota Kinabalu Hotel

A PRIVATE sector employee has pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to a charge of raping a 24-year-old woman, an acquaintance of his, at a city hotel in the early hours of Sunday, 5 October.

David Lau Heng Seng, 25, entered his plea after the charge was read before Judge Irwan Suainbon on Wednesday.

According to the charge sheet, the alleged offence occurred at approximately 12.15am in a hotel room in central Kota Kinabalu. Lau is accused of committing rape under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping upon conviction.

The prosecution, led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Jun Keong, offered bail at RM12,000 with one surety and requested two additional conditions: that the accused be barred from approaching or contacting the victim during the trial, and that he surrenders his passport to the court.

In response, defence counsel Teh See Khoon, representing Lau along with K Sagana, appealed for a reduction in bail, citing the accused’s recent graduation and limited financial means.

“My client is 25 and has only just begun employment. His mother, a civil servant, will stand as surety. The proposed bail is sufficient to secure his attendance at future proceedings,” Teh told the court.

He added that the accused had voluntarily taken the complainant to hospital on the day of the incident and maintained that there was no flight risk.

Judge Irwan set bail at RM7,000 with one surety and imposed the prosecution’s requested conditions — that the accused not approach or harass the complainant, and that his passport be surrendered to the court until the case concludes.

The matter was adjourned to 12 November for case mention.

It is understood that the complainant, a Kuala Lumpur resident, had travelled to Sabah for a holiday and was staying in a hotel in the city centre at the time of the alleged incident. - October 8, 2025