TENOM: A woman told the Magistrate’s Court here that she initially hesitated to lodge a police report against preacher Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew, known as Ebit Lew, for alleged sexual harassment in April 2021, fearing that the public would not believe her.
However, the 40-something woman, the ninth prosecution witness and the complainant in the case, said she ultimately decided to lodge a report in August of the same year with the assistance of a non-governmental organisation. This came after news of a prominent preacher being accused of sexual harassment involving Ebit Lew surfaced in July.
She disclosed this during a re-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Azizah Mohamad before Magistrate Nur Asyraf Zolhani.
The witness also clarified her earlier response of “disagree” to a question from defence lawyer Datuk Ram Singh, who suggested that her police report was lodged for personal benefit.
“I disagree because I was genuinely influenced by him when I shared the photos unwillingly, and my report was not for personal gain,” she said.
She added that she did not request the return of the photos she sent as she believed Ebit Lew did not keep them.
The witness said that her initial response to Ebit Lew’s messages were in a joking manner, as she initially thought of him as a respectable preacher and religious teacher.
Ebit Lew, 38, faces 11 charges, including outraging the victim’s modesty by sending obscene words and images via WhatsApp between March and June 2021.
He is charged under Section 509 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.The trial will resume from Jan 15 to Jan 17 next year. - Bernama
