TENOM: A prosecution witness in the sexual harassment trial involving Ebit Erawan Ibrahim Lew, better known as Ebit Lew, told the Magistrate's Court here on Thursday (Oct 23) that Lew had claimed his mobile phone was damaged and that he did not know its whereabouts.
The 18th prosecution witness, police investigating officer Supt Noor Asyikin Shamsuri, 46, however, said investigations into LGMS Berhad senior digital forensic consultant Hoo Kah Yan on Nov 11, 2022 revealed that the phone had been sent by Lew to LGMS Berhad for analysis.
"My investigation found that Hoo Kah Yan had received the mobile phone in good working condition for analysis related to keyword searching, WhatsApp chat extraction and image extraction of the device," she said while reading her witness statement.
Noor Asyikin said the police had sent a formal request letter on Nov 21, 2022, at 3.15pm to Lew's legal representatives, Messrs Ram Singh & Co., requesting their client to hand over the phone within three days or by Nov 24, 2022, at the latest.
Noor Asyikin said on Nov 22, 2022, the police received an email response from the law firm stating that they had contacted Lew about the mobile phone, but the accused informed them that the device had been lost after the forensic analysis report on the phone was completed.
She said that on Nov 30, 2022, she, along with ASP Siti Nooraini Mohd Sahid and ASP Norfazliyani Zolkapeli, went to the LGMS office to record witness statements and collect evidence, namely the extraction data from Lew's mobile phone performed by LGMS.
The prosecution is led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Nor Azizah Mohamad, Analia Kamaruddin, and Muhammad Hidayat Wahab, while Lew is represented by counsel Datuk Ram Singh, Kamarudin Mohmad Chinki and Prabjit Singh Gill.
Ebit Lew, 38, faces 11 charges, including outraging the modesty of a woman in her 40s by sending obscene words and images via WhatsApp between March and June 2021, under Section 509 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
The trial before Magistrate Nur Asyraf Zolhani continues on Friday. - Bernama
