National coach charged with rape of diver (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: A China-born Malaysian national diving coach was today charged with raping a 20-year-old diver at Bukit Jalil Sports Complex on Sept 26, 2017, at the sessions court.
Huang Qiang, a 35-year-old Malaysian citizen, who was originally from China, claimed trial to raping the diver at Dry Gym, diving gymnasium, National Aquatic Centre, Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex at about 5.30pm on Sept 26, 2017.
The charge under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code is punishable with a jail term up to 20 years and liable to a fine, upon conviction.
Sessions judge Wan Mohd Norisham Wan Yaakob granted RM50,000 bail in two Malaysian sureties and ordered the accused to surrender his passport to the court.

He also ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station on two dates, the 1st and the 16th of every month.
“The accused is prohibited from disturbing or contacting or threatening the victim or the witnesses. If there is a police report (from victim or witnesses), the bail will be revoked,” said Wan Mohd Norisham.
He also ordered for the name of the victim not to be revealed and fixed Nov 6 for mention.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Hafizzah Sauni objected to the granting of bail, taking into consideration that the accused is the coach of the victim and all the witnesses were trained by the accused.
She said there is a risk for the witnesses to be disturbed, especially the victim.
“The accused is now a Malaysian citizen but he is originally from China and he has family there. Therefore there is a risk of him absconding," she said.
Lawyer Mohd Hisham Md Nen asked that his client be released on bail, saying that the bail amount imposed should not be high as it is only to secure attendance.
He said additional bail conditions can be imposed on the accused and said Huang is married with two children; aged six and one year and four months old.
In reply, Hafizzah reiterated that the prosecution objected to the granting of bail but suggested an amount of RM50,000 bail in two Malaysian sureties, if the judge plans to grant bail.
She also suggested additional conditions, such as the accused not being allowed to approach the victim and witnesses, the accused is not allowed to be around the Bukit Jalil Sport Complex area, his passport to be surrendered to the court, and he has to report to the nearest police station, twice a month.
At the same time, lawyer Cheow Wee, who held a watching brief for the victim’s family, applied for the court to order the accused not to call or approach the victim, as part of bail conditions.
He also applied for an order that the victim’s name is not stated in any media as she is a national athlete and is a member of an elite team preparing for the Olympics.
Outside the court, reporters approached Cheow Wee to ask if the diver was still traumatised by the incident.
“Yes, she is, but a lot of people, family members and friends are helping her to cope,” said Cheow Wee.