Ebit Lew trial: Third witness says received lewd pictures, messages from first witness

PETALING JAYA: Firdaus Wong, the third witness in the sexual harrassment trial of preacher Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew, better known as Ebit Lew, said he received pictures of male genitals and snapshots of lewd messages from the first witness, Mohd Fairuz Abu.

Explaining the matter, Firdaus Wong whose real name is Firdaus Wong Hai Hung, 39, said the pictures and messages sent by Mohd Fairuz were shared by the complainant (identity withheld under order of the court).

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Deputy Public Prosecutor Zahida Zakaria then asked Firdaus to clarify the identity of one Akhi Fairuz, who was said to be a friend of his in connection with a woman who had been helped by the Multiracial Reverted Muslims (MRM) NGO.

Sinar Harian quoted Firdaus as telling the court that the Akhi Fairuz in question was Akhi Fairuz Al-Jengkawi, referring to the first witness, Mohd Fairuz, who he met through a social media programme on June 2, 2021.

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When asked if Firdaus remembered the picture and lewd messages he received from Fairuz, he admitted it was a picture of male genitals and snapshots of lewd messages.

Firdaus was later asked what he did with the pictures and snapshots, to which he said the snapshots and pictures were automatically downloaded and stored in his mobile phone.

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During the proceedings, Firdaus was also asked about the help provided to the complainant by MRM.

"MRM gave the complainant and her husband flight tickets and accomodation as well as other services such as legal aid, counselling, Islamic treatment and whatever else was needed," he told the court.

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He explained that the complainant and her husband had been flown to Kuala Lumpur on Aug 6, 2021, and flown back to Kota Kinabalu on Aug 8. While in Kuala Lumpur, the couple were put up in a hotel.

Firdaus was also asked to provide details of the counselling and treatment offered to the couple.

"The counselling given to the complainant and her husband was aimed at boosting their spirits and helping them recover from the trauma they faced," Sinar Harian reported him as telling the court.

The trial then adjourned at 11.30am and the court set new dates from Dec 20 to 22 for the trial to continue.

Lew, 37, is facing 11 charges, including insulting the modesty of a woman in her 40s by sending obscene words to the victim's phone number via the WhatsApp application between March and June last year.

The charge under Section 509 of the Penal Code provides for a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.