PUTRAJAYA: A former civil servant was ordered to begin serving his 18-month jail sentence on Monday (March 2) after the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction for molesting a woman 15 years ago.
This followed a decision by a three-member bench, comprising Datuk Supang Lian, Datuk Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz, and K. Muniandy, in dismissing the appeal by the 57-year-old Zolkapli Long @ Mohamad, who had challenged his conviction for outraging the modesty of a woman who was a client at the agency where he worked.
The court issued a warrant of committal for Zolkapli to begin his sentence immediately. He had previously been granted a stay of execution and bail of RM20,000 with one surety pending the appeal outcome.
Justice Muniandy, reading the court's unanimous decision, said the High Court had not erred in convicting Zolkapli, noting that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The magistrate's court had, in 2022, acquitted and discharged Zolkapli on the charge framed under Section 354 of the Penal Code for assault or use of criminal force to a person with intent to outrage modesty.
In 2023, the High Court set aside his acquittal and found him guilty of molesting the woman, who was 19 years-old, when the offence was committed. He was sentenced to 18-months jail for the offence.
He was charged with committing the offence at his office in Langkawi at about 2.45pm on Oct 20, 2011.
At the Court of Appeal, lawyer Fozi Addhwa (rpt: Addhwa) Mohammad Fozi mentioned on behalf of Zolkapli's lawyers G. Ravishankar and Muhammad Nizam Zaidi, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Atiqah Abdul Karim@Husaini appeared for the prosecution. - Bernama
