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A 41-YEAR-OLD Indonesian woman was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and fined RM3,000 by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today after pleading guilty to assaulting a compatriot with scissors, slapping, scratching, and inserting chilli powder into the victim’s underwear two weeks ago.
Online trader Erna Wati was ordered by Judge Mazuliana Abdul Rashid to serve her sentence from the date of her arrest on 9 October, with an additional two months’ imprisonment if she fails to pay the fine.
Erna was charged under Section 326 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt using scissors during the assault, which took place at about 10.30 pm on 7 October near the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine, or whipping.
The attack reportedly stemmed from suspicion that the victim, Dyah Ayu Kuriniasari, 43, had been interfering with Erna’s husband.
Court facts revealed that Dyah Ayu was picked up by a friend in a car alongside Erna and two of her acquaintances. During the journey, Erna questioned the victim but was dissatisfied with her answers and instructed one of her friends to hold Dyah down.
Erna then rubbed chilli powder on the victim’s face and inserted it into her underwear. She proceeded to scratch and slap Dyah, gouge her eyes, stab her several times in the back with scissors, and cut her clothes before abandoning her by the roadside near the scene.
Medical officers confirmed that the victim sustained multiple injuries from scratching and stabbing, with scissor marks on her face, body, hands, legs, and ears, and her hair was forcibly cut.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Izzat Amir Idham urged the court to impose a heavy sentence, highlighting the severity and cruelty of the attack and the serious physical and psychological harm inflicted on the victim.
He said, “The victim is a woman who suffered serious injuries and psychological effects from the accused’s actions. The slapping, application of chilli powder, and scratching were acts of cruelty. We seek a heavy sentence to serve as a deterrent against recurrence.”
Defence counsel Ahmad Ikram Ab Alim appealed for a lighter sentence, noting that Erna is a mother to five children aged between five and eleven who are still in school, has no prior criminal record, has lived in Malaysia for 20 years, and has expressed remorse. - October 23, 2025