A 19-year-old Malaysian student pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate Court yesterday (June 24) for outraging the modesty of a woman at an MRT station in Cheras recently.
The woman initially shared the incident on her Instagram post, showing her husband confronting the student who allegedly took an upskirt photo of her. The couple’s young son was also at the scene. The student was then handed over to the employees at the MRT station and the auxiliary police, and the student claimed that he was attempting to take a selfie but accidentally took an upskirt photo of the victim.
The student also begged the man not to hand him over to the authorities, but the family eventually lodged a police report at the Cheras police station.
The student, Hafiz Damian Abdul Qawwiy, was charged with making a gesture intended to insult the modesty of the 28-year-old woman at the Taman Pertama MRT station at 8.53 PM on Sunday (June 22).
At the Magistrate Court, Hafiz claimed trial.
The charge framed under Section 509 of the Penal Code is punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both, upon conviction, reported Berita Harian.
Sufi Sukor from the national legal aid foundation, who represented Hafiz, sought bail of RM1,000 for the accused, saying Hafiz was a first-time offender and needed to sit for an examination soon. Sufi added that the accused had fully cooperated with the police and posed no risk of becoming a fugitive. Hafiz’s stepfather was also present at the court.
Hafiz was released on RM1,000 bail and was ordered by the court to report to the police station every month.
The matter has been set for a re-mention on August 18.
