PETALING JAYA: The clerk, who was sentenced to six years in jail and sent straight to prison for driving her car into eight teenagers racing modified bicycles in a dark street, will be offered legal assistance if requested, said Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).
“We note that the Johor Bahru High Court allowed the prosecution’s appeal against the Magistrate’s earlier acquittal of Sam Ke Ting, of reckless driving causing the deaths of eight teenagers in a sorrowful tragedy.
“While we understand that the grant of stay of execution was within the discretion of the learned High Court Judge, it must be exercised judiciously, in accordance with legal principles and established precedents. In this case, there is no reported attempts to abscond on Sam’s part.
“Neither has the accused been uncooperative with the police or the prosecution. As such, we are of the view that the use of the handcuffs was unnecessary and that the stay of execution should have been granted,“ PBM Senior Vice President Steven Choong said in a statement today.
He said PBM would offer her legal assistance including assisting her with an appeal to ensure she was given fair and impartial representation.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sam was jailed for six years over a fatal road accident that resulted in the death of eight teenagers in Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, Johor Baru, at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017, after two Magistrate Courts had earlier acquitted her on the charge.
This came after the prosecution was successful in its second appeal against a Magistrate’s Court decision to acquit and discharge Sam, in October last year (2021) on a charge of reckless or dangerous driving.
On Oct 28, 2019, a Magistrate’s Court here acquitted and discharged Sam of the charge at the end of the prosecution’s case without calling for her defence.
She was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.