File picture of Persana being brought to court for a previous hearing. - Photo courtesy of Sinar Harian
KUALA LUMPUR: A masseuse was sentenced to one year in prison by the Sessions Court here on Friday (Oct 31) for posting a video featuring a fake marriage certificate purportedly showing that she had married a royal family member in February.
Judge Suhaila Haron imposed the sentence on Persana Avril Sollunda, 43, after she changed her plea to guilty during her mention hearing Friday, ordering the sentence to run from the date of her arrest on June 18.
The woman was accused of creating and transmitting an image within a fake video on TikTok via the account "king.charles.ratu", depicting a false marriage certificate between a royal family member and "Crown Princess Ratu Shana," with the intent to harass another person, on Feb 25, 2025.
The post was subsequently accessed at 10.00am on Feb 26 at the Cyber and Multimedia Crime Investigation Division Office, Commercial Crime Investigation Department, Bukit Aman Police Headquarters, Menara KPJ.
She was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 [Act 588], which carries a maximum penalty of a RM500,000 fine, imprisonment of up to two years, or both. A further fine of RM5,000 may also be imposed for each day the offence persists after conviction.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Izzat Amir Idham urged the court to impose a proportionate sentence, citing the seriousness of the offence and its impact on the royal institution.
He submitted that the accused's actions had a significant public impact, as the post was widely shared by the public and disrupted the harmony of the royal institution.
"We seek a custodial sentence as a deterrent measure, to serve as a lesson to the public and to the accused herself, to think carefully before committing such an act," he said.
The accused's counsel, Datuk Noor Svetlana Mohd Noordin, pleaded for a lenient sentence, submitting that her client has experienced trauma from a previous marriage and regularly seeks treatment for her mental health. - Bernama
