KUALA LUMPUR: A plantation worker was fined RM2,000 by the Magistrate’s Court on Friday (Feb 14) for concealing a suspect involved in a hit-and-run in front of a nightclub on Jalan Klang Lama.
Magistrate Farah Nabihah Muhamad Dan imposed the fine after S. Teenesh pleaded guilty to the charge, and ordered him to serve two months in prison if the fine is not settled.
Teenesh, 40, was charged with hiding an offender known to have committed attempted murder to evade punishment and the law, at a plantation workers' quarters in Kampung Chennah, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, at 6.20pm on Feb 7.
He was charged under Section 120B (2) of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.
According to the case facts, on Jan 29, a 24-year-old man, the manager of the nightclub, witnessed two vehicles driving out recklessly from the building’s parking lot onto the road in front of the club.
The vehicles then struck a group of people standing in front of the nightclub, resulting in injuries to two men and one woman.
A woman living in a condominium on Jalan Klang Lama was awakened by loud noises and, upon looking out her window, saw a group of men fighting. She recorded the incident on her phone, and the video later went viral on social media.
After the court interpreter read the facts of the case, the magistrate asked deputy public prosecutor Amritpreet Kaur Randhawa to clarify how the accused had protected the perpetrator.
Amritpreet explained that the accused had concealed the perpetrator at a workers' quarters.
Earlier, Amritpreet requested an appropriate sentence to serve as a deterrent to the accused, while Teenesh’s lawyer Mohamad Zaidi Othman, requested a fine, citing that his client supports a wife and two school-going children.
"The accused expresses remorse for his actions and has pledged not to repeat them. Furthermore, he has no prior criminal record and has fully cooperated throughout the investigation," said the lawyer. – Bernama
