SEPANG: A secondary school English teacher was charged in the Magistrate’s Court here with causing public alarm by spreading unverified information regarding the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir.
Siti Hajar Aflah Sharuddin, 39, pleaded not guilty before magistrate Khairatul Animah Jelani yesterday.
She is alleged to have spread false statements, claiming that Zara Qairina died after being put in a washing machine, on her TikTok account “SHA_Abrienda” at 1.20pm on Aug 6, with the intent to cause alarm to the public.
The statement was seen and heard by a police officer at the KL International Airport Terminal 2, Bernama reported.
Siti Hajar Aflah was charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, which provides imprisonment for up to two years, or a fine or both, upon conviction.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nadia Mohd Izhar offered bail at RM10,000 in one surety.
Lawyer Mohamad Zaiful Bahrin Kamde applied for a lower bail of RM3,000 on grounds that his client is a single mother with three school-going children and has to support her parents.
“My client is a teacher at the Education Ministry with an income of RM5,000 a month.
“She also supports three children aged 10, 11 and 12, and parents aged 65 and 66, with the mother suffering a mild stroke,” he said.
Mohamad Zaiful added that she cooperated with the authorities during the investigation and was not a flight risk.
The court granted bail of RM4,000 with one surety and set Oct 9 for mention.
Zara Qairina, 13, was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious in a drain near the hostel of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar on July 16. She died the following day.
