24 seminarians to serve three-month community service

Brief Caption: Police have arrested some of the men for defying the movement control order (MCO) by playing football at a college field in Tanjung Bungah.

GEORGE TOWN: Twenty-four Catholic seminarians were sentenced to three months of community service by a Magistrate’s Court here after pleading guilty to violating the movement control order (MCO).

After hearing the mitigation submission of defence counsel K. Simon Murali, magistrate Rosnee Mohd Radzuan imposed the compulsory community service, to be supervised by a parole officer.

Simon Murali told the court the seminarians were prohibited from leaving the compound of the college and no social interaction was allowed with outsiders.

A seminarian is a Catholic training for several years to be ordained as a priest.

“The seminarians lived as a family unit and each of them has undergone medical examinations and found to be healthy.

“The football game was part of a health maintenance regime for seminarians to stay fit and the field was within the college vicinity, ” Simon Murali said.

Magistrate Rosnee ordered the seminarians to begin performing community service from yesterday, three hours every weekday.

They were charged under Regulation 3(2) Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020.

They were arrested after being found playing football at the field of College General at around 5.30pm on March 31.

The arrests came following a tip-off by a resident to the police of a nearby apartment who had taken a picture of them playing football.

DPP Nabila Huda Muhammad Nazim prosecuted and lawyer Datuk Joy Appukuttan represented the accused.

The seminarians were Addie Frank Anak Lingge, 36; Adrian Linus Lojikip, 31; Brywinedren Godon, 30; Joel Rut Markus, 28; Jonathan Seah, 24; Lincoln Lee, 40; Timothy Galisin, 32; Ashley Stephen Chau, 39; Cantona Anak Cyril, 25; Heldy Amin, 32; Jerome Loganathan Amudalingam, 43; Joseph Wong Pak Yii, 32; Lordkennylister P James, 34; Mark Edward Calady Muniandy, 39; Patrick Hilary Sandnasamy, 32; Tan Yee Ping, 38; Tarence Joe Anak Japar, 28; Uvarajah Dhamodaran, 32; Ashvin Andrew Xavier, 32; Lincoln Lewis De Silva, 40; Ronfernandez Sandanasamy, 31; Stephen Suhaili, 37; Sinnapan Maniam, 34; and Ryan Innas Muthu, 48.