Datuk Seri in Rela assault case pleads not guilty

KUALA LUMPUR: A 29-year-old "Datuk Seri" has pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to assaulting three Rela personnel last Friday (Oct 27).  

Liow Soon Hee, 29, was accused of attacking Melvin Cheong, 19, who was on duty as a Rela member. 

Liow faces up to two years in jail or a fine or both if convicted under Section 353 of the Penal Code. 

He was also accused of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Lee Weng Poh, 27. 

He faces up to seven years in jail and a fine if convicted of the offence under Section 325 of the Penal Code.

The accused also faces another two counts of voluntarily causing hurt under Section 323 of the Penal Code in which he is charged with causing hurt to Leong Jun Jie, 21, and Cheong. 

If convicted, he faces up to a year imprisonment or a fine of up to RM2,000 or both. 

All of the offences were allegedly committed at the compound of Kou Ong Yah Temple, Jalan Merdeka, Kampung Baru Ampang in Ampang at about 6.30am on Oct 27.

The accused appeared calm and pleaded not guilty to all the charges after it was read out to him before Sessions Court judge Azrul Darus on Friday (Nov 3). 

DPP Nadiah Malek Fauzie offered RM25,000 as bail for all charges. 

Lawyer Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, who represented Liow, however, asked for a lower bail. 

"The bail is just to secure the attendance of my client during court hearing," he said. 

The court set bail at RM17,000 with one surety for all the charges and ordered Liow not to disturb the witnesses. 

The case is fixed for mention on Dec 14.