An e-hailing driver in Johor allegedly sexually harassed a female passenger, who is Vietnamese, earlier this month, with the incident captured on video.
After the video went viral, Johor Bahru Selatan District Police Chief ACP Raub Selamat confirmed that the driver had voluntarily surrendered to the police.
Raub selamat
The accused pleaded not guilty
In a recent development, the 26-year-old driver pleaded not guilty today (13 February) at the Magistrate’s Court to a charge of outraging the modesty of a woman in his e-hailing vehicle, as reported by Sinar Harian.
According to the charge, the incident allegedly occurred in a Perodua Bezza between Kedai Emas Ros Merah along Jalan Harimau Tarum in Taman Century, and R&F Princess Cove along Jalan Tanjung Puteri 1 in Tanjung Puteri, between 5:30 PM and 6:00 PM on 1 February.
The accused faces a charge of using criminal force on a foreign woman with the intent to outrage her modesty by touching three parts of her body. The charge was framed under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, a fine, whipping, or any two of these penalties if convicted.
The accused sought a reduced bail as he only earns RM3,000 a month
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Syafiqah Sha’ari had proposed bail of RM10,000, but the accused’s lawyer, Mark Jeyakumar, objected, noting that his client only earns around RM3,000 a month and could not afford such a high amount.
The court then set bail at RM2,000 and scheduled the next mention of the case on 13 March for the submission of documents.
Previously, we reported that the driver, who also works as a teacher in the district, has been granted a temporary leave of absence while awaiting further instructions from the Johor State Education Department.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) has directed the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to immediately revoke the driver’s Public Service Vehicle (PSV) license, barring him from operating on any e-hailing platform.
Stay tuned to WORLD OF BUZZ for more updates!
Also read: Johor E-Hailing Driver Surrenders to PDRM After Alleged Sexual Harassment of Female Passenger
