Kota Kinabalu: A 36-year-old Filipina was fined RM3,000 or eight months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court here for offering sexual services at a reflexology centre.
Leonilen Pabolario pleaded guilty before Magistrate Marilyn Kelvin to engaging in prostitution by providing sexual services to a man in exchange for payment at around 9.25pm on Aug 7 at a premises in Luyang.
She was charged under Section 372B of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to one year, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});According to the prosecution, the offence came to light after police conducted an Ops Noda raid based on public tip-offs and surveillance. The premises was reportedly frequented only by male clients.
During the raid, police found Leonilen fully clothed on a bed, while a male customer was taking a shower. The man later admitted that he had been offered sexual services by the Filipina massage therapist.
Leonilen’s counsel, Dominic Chew, requested a fine, noting that she holds a valid passport.
In a separate case, a 48-year-old unemployed man was sentenced to 10 months’ jail for threatening to injure a woman.
Kedapi Baharuddin pleaded guilty to threatening Norarina, 21, at 6.07am on June 7 this year at a house in Taman Indah Permai, Manggatal.
The charge, under Section 506 of the Penal Code, provides for a jail term of up to seven years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
According to the facts, the complainant was in her bedroom when she saw Kedapi outside her window, trying to bend the metal bars. When she confronted him, he became aggressive and threatened to kill her and her younger sibling, who witnessed the incident.
The siblings cried and shouted for help, prompting a nearby relative to intervene, causing Kedapi to flee. He was arrested at noon the same day after a police report was lodged. The court ordered that his sentence be served from the date of arrest.
In another case, a woman was fined RM1,700 or one month’s jail for gambling in a public place.
Nor Idah Tamang pleaded guilty to committing the offence at 3.40pm on July 30 under a tree in front of a shop in Manggatal town.
She was charged under Section 9(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which carries a fine of up to RM5,000, or imprisonment for up to six months, or both, upon conviction.
Police, acting under Op Dadu, observed Nor Idah for about 10 minutes before approaching her. Upon identifying themselves, officers conducted a search and found paraphernalia linked to “Wah Hui” gambling, dated July 30, 2025.
The items, including RM86 in cash, were seized, and Nor Idah was arrested. The court ordered the seized money to be forfeited to the government.
Inspector Yusdi Basri prosecuted all cases.
