JOHOR BARU: An unemployed man who kidnapped a seven-year-old boy at Taman Scientex in Pasir Gudang was sentenced to two years in jail by the Magistrate's Court here.
According to the charge sheet, the 26-year-old allegedly kidnapped the boy near Taman Scientex Religious School at 11.30am on May 11.
The act is an offence under Section 363 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment for up to seven years with a fine upon conviction.
The man had initially pleaded not guilty when charged on May 17 but was sentenced after changing his plea on Thursday (July 7) before magistrate Mohd Zulhilmi Ibrahim.
The prosecution was handled by deputy public prosecutors Muhammad Arif Marzuki and Danial Munir, while the accused was not represented.
On May 11, several videos and photos went viral online showing a man kidnapping a boy who was wearing the uniform of a religious school.
The man was detained by passers-by who also rescued the boy.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat later said checks on the suspect found that he has a disabled person's card stating that he has a mental disorder and was also wanted by the police for a drug offence.
Initial investigations also found that the victim was walking back home after attending religious classes when he was approached by the suspect.
The man tried to convince the boy that he could send him home using his motorcycle, but the child refused to follow him.
In a 60-second long video posted by the Malay-language portal Majoriti.com.my on its Facebook page, a driver of a passing car can be heard asking the man if the child was his.
Unsatisfied with the man's answer, the driver demanded the man to follow him to the nearby police station, which he declined.
The man then tried to get away with the child. However, the driver knocked him down to stop him.
