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A COUPLE arrested for committing indecent acts at a Chinese cemetery in Air Itam, Penang, was sentenced to a year in prison by the magistrate's court today after pleading guilty.
Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi handed down the sentence to M Jegathesan, 58, and Halila Abu Bakar, 37, after both pleaded guilty to charges under Section 377D of the Penal Code.
The two admitted to committing indecent acts together at a Chinese cemetery in Batu Gantung at 8.30 am on March 22.
The charge was brought under Section 377D of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for punishment under the same provision.
The provision makes acts of "gross indecency" between individuals an offence, whether committed in a public or private place, and punishable by up to two years in prison.
In mitigation, lawyer R. Purantharan, who represented both accused, sought a lighter sentence, claiming that Halila was unemployed, single and supported by her family.
He said Jegathesan, meanwhile, worked as a security guard earning RM1,800 a month and was the sole breadwinner for his wife, who had suffered a stroke, and their two children.
“Both accused pleaded guilty today, which has saved the court time and costs that would otherwise have been incurred if the matter had proceeded to trial,” he said.
Deputy public prosecutor Lau Shavin, however, urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence to serve as a warning to others and the fact that the offence was committed at a cemetery. – March 26, 2026