JOHOR BARU: Eight individuals, including a woman, pleaded guilty to four charges of unlawful confinement, criminal intimidation, extortion and physical assault of a 22-year-old man at an apartment in Masai last week.
The accused – Muhammad Aqmal Hafifi Mustafa Kamal, 25; Ahmad Rushdi Jumadi, 23; Muhammad Nur Shafiq Abdullah, 25; Muhammad Haikal Zulkarnain, 19; Mohamad Amierul Hakim Shamsuri, 23; Mohamad Danish Hakim Kamaruddin, 20; Syamsul Hamiziey Saiful Razali, 19; and Nuredrianna Balqqisyh Anabella Norazman, 22 – entered their pleas before magistrate Atifah Hazimah Wahab yesterday.
According to the charge sheets, the group, along with two individuals still at large, wrongfully confined the victim, Muhammad Faris Syahmi Mohd Ridzwan, inside a flat unit at Block J, Jalan Bunga Daisi, Plentong, between 10pm on April 18 and 4am the next day.
They were also accused of threatening to kill the victim, extorting RM650 in cash and the keys to his motorcycle, and coercing him into agreeing to pay RM3,000 through intimidation and physical violence.
Justice pending: Some of the eight accused involved in the assault of a 22-year-old man being escorted at the Johor Baru Court Complex.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that all the accused, except Nuredrianna, assaulted the victim during the incident.
Under the charges, they face up to 14 years’ imprisonment for the most serious offence, along with fines or whipping, depending on the specific charges.
The prosecution proposed bail at RM10,000 for each charge, amounting to RM40,000 for each male accused and RM30,000 for Nuredrianna.
In mitigation, the defence informed the court that three of the accused were currently unemployed, while the others earned between RM1,200 and RM2,000 per month. It was also noted that Nuredrianna suffers from asthma.
The court granted bail of RM16,000 each for the male accused and RM14,000 for Nuredrianna, all with one surety.
The case was fixed for mention on June 3.
A video of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed a group assaulting a man at an apartment.
Seri Alam OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Sohaimi Ishak previously confirmed that police received a report from the victim, who claimed the incident occurred on April 18.
The suspects were arrested on Monday.
