KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Two men who drove on despite being told to stop by police for fear of violating the movement control order (MCO) were fined RM3,500 each by the Magistrate’s Court here today.
Magistrate M. Saravanan meted out the sentence after Muhammad Khir Zahir Hussain, 21, and Mat Khalid Abd Aziz, 43, pleaded guilty to the two charges read out to them.
On the charge of obstructing public servants from carrying out their duties, the two accused were fined RM2,500 each or two months’ jail while for violating the MCO, they were fined RM1,000 each or a month’s jail.
They were charged with intentionally obstructing a police officer from carrying out his duties by failing to stop their car when told to do so at 2.20am yesterday under Section 186 of the Penal Code and could be sentenced under the same section and code, which provides for a maximum jail term of two years or a maximum fine of RM10,000 or both.
They were also charged with moving from one area of infection, which is Selayang, to another infected area in Jalan Kuchai Lama here at the same time and on the same day, with no intention of carrying out anything that was provided for under Regulation 5 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the local Infected Areas) Regulations 2020.
They were also charged under Regulation 12 (1), which provides for a maximum fine of RM1,000 or up to six months’ imprisonment or both.
When asked by Saravanan why they didn’t stop their car, Muhammad Khir replied that it was he who drove the car and that he did not stop because he was afraid as he had been fined RM1,000 previously for violating the MCO.
“Now you are punished, your car is damaged. If you had cooperated with the police personnel, nothing would have happened. Your car would not have crashed into the drain,” said Saravanan.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Abdul Khaliq Nazeri urged for a deterrent sentence as a lesson for them, while the two accused, who were not represented, pleaded for leniency, saying they regretted their action and had repented.
“I would like to plead for a lighter sentence as my child is still very young and my wife is in confinement,” said Muhammad Khir.
In the same court, 29 men, including eight Bangladesh, Myanmar and Algerian nationals, were jailed eight days or fined RM800 to RM1,000 each after pleading guilty to gathering and moving from one place to another.
The court also ordered all of them to be jailed from the date of their arrests, between April 21 and May 5, and a month’s jail if they failed to pay the fines.
All the men, aged between 21 and 45, were charged with committing the offence around Kuala Lumpur between April 21 and May 5. — Bernama
