12 men fined for attacking policemen on duty
RAHMAT KHAIRULRIJAL
New Straits Times15 November 2017
KUALA LUMPUR: A tense atmosphere enveloped the Selayang magistrate’s court here today when 12 men were fined RM3,800, in default eight months imprisonment, for participating in an unlawful assembly to attack policemen near Rawang last month.
The twelve – M. Muniandy, 49; P. Navin Prakash, 18; M. Prem, 21; S. Kaamaraasi, 39; M. Rames, 33; S. Vsanthan, 31; M. Kishokman, 20; G. Peter Jebasegaran, 24; M. Vinos, 21; R. J. Thivakaran Pillai, 20; M. Arumugam, 32; and Ang Lian Hooi, 37 – pleaded guilty when the charge was read to them before magistrate Nurul Izzah Hassan Masri.
Some of the accused were seen hugging their respective family members after the proceedings as seven of them have been remanded at the Sungai Buloh prison since last month.
All of the defendants were charged with participating in an unlawful assembly and threatening policemen on duty with wooden sticks and chairs in front of Zakaria mini market at about 5pm on Oct 15.
The offence falls under Section 149 of the Penal Code punishable under Section 148 of the same code, which carries a maximum of five years imprisonment or fine or both, upon conviction.
Counsel Mohd Riza Zakaria, who represented all of the accused, when pleading for leniency, said the commotion occurred due to a misunderstanding.
He claimed that the accused had mistaken the policemen for robbers as they were not in uniforms and were in a heavily-tinted vehicle roaming the supermarket.
“They had engaged the victims as a precautionary measure to prevent any criminal activities around the area,” he said.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Zuhaini Mahamad Amin pressed for a deterrent sentence stating that the case is of great public interest.
According to the charge sheet, a team of policemen were blocked by a group of men while patrolling near the area in a Nissan Sentra.
The group armed with wooden sticks, chairs, and several unidentified items blocked the vehicle and engaged the policemen, prompting one of the officers to fire a warning shot. © New Straits Times Press
