GEORGE TOWN: Six men were jointly charged in the Magistrate's Court here for rioting with helmets in a public place, which resulted in injuries to three of them.
M. Yuven, 29; S. Saravanan, 27; Raagendra Marthanveeran, 24; Cheah Dishalan, 24; and Rahul, 23—pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Siti Nurul Suhaila Baharin on Monday (Feb 17).
Meanwhile, Arul Kevin Raj Kannan, 19, pleaded guilty to the charge.
Initially, when the charge was read in Bahasa Malaysia, all six accused pleaded guilty.
However, after the charge was read again in Tamil, only Arul maintained his guilty plea, while the others changed their plea to "tidak bersalah."
The accused allegedly engaged in a riot using helmets, causing injuries to Yuven, Saravanan, and Raagendra at a parking lot in Batu Ferringhi at around 1.32am on Feb 2.
They were charged under Section 148 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Atikah Asharaf Ali requested the court to set bail at RM8,000 with one surety.
However, defense counsels V. Joseph and V. Parthipan, representing Yuven, Saravanan, and Rahul, appealed for a lower bail amount.
They argued that their clients, who earn around RM1,500 monthly, have families to support.
"One of them is working as a hotel waiter while another is a mechanic and the third is a hotel maintenance worker.
"Some of them are married and have parents to care for," they said.
The other three accused were represented by a counsel from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
Siti Nurul Suhaila granted bail at RM3,500 each and set March 19 for mention.
Sentencing for Arul will be decided after his social report is prepared.
