SEPANG: A 12-year-old boy who drove a car with two other children in the vehicle at a residential area here has pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate's Court.
The boy made the plea after the charge was read in front of Magistrate Muhammad Bukhori Md Ruslan.
During the closed-door proceedings on Wednesday (Aug 7), the boy, accompanied by his mother, was charged with driving a car on the road aged 12 years and three months.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division office, Sepang district police headquarters at 6.30pm on July 29.
The charge was made under Section 39(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 and is punishable under Section 39(5) of the same Act, which carries a fine of up to RM2,000 or a maximum imprisonment of six months, or both, upon conviction.
In the same proceedings, his father, who is a Pakistani national with Malaysian permanent resident status and the owner of the car driven, was charged with allowing his son to drive the vehicle on the road at the same time, date and location.
The charge was made under Section 39(5) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a fine of up to RM2,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, or both, upon conviction.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Sabrina Zubairi, while both accused were represented by lawyer Nabilla Rosli from the law firm Nadia Nabilla Rosli & Syaakirah.
The court allowed the boy to be released on bail of RM500, while his father, who works as a carpet seller, was granted bail of RM2,000 with one local surety.
The court set Sept 4 for the next mention of the case.
At the Sessions Court, the father of the boy was also charged with neglecting and failing to supervise his son's activities that could result in physical harm under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.
He faces a fine of up to RM50,000, or 20 year's jail, or both, if found guilty.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Farahin Sasaruddin conducted the prosecution while lawyer Nabilla Rosli represented the accused.
Nurul Farahin sought bail of RM15,000 while Nabilla urged the court to reconsider the amount as the accused worked as a carpet seller, who earned an average of RM3,000 a month to support his wife, who is a housewife, and five school-going children aged six to 19.
The court set bail at RM8,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station monthly.
Case mention was set on Sept 4. – Bernama
