GEORGE TOWN: A man and woman caught engaging in a lewd act at Batu Gantung Chinese cemetery here have been sentenced to 12 months in prison.
M. Jegathesan, 58, and Halila Abu Bakar, 37, both pleaded guilty to committing the offence at around 8.30am on March 22.
They also admitted they were the individuals seen in a 38-second video clip that had gone viral on the same day.
Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi sentenced both of them to 12 months' imprisonment under Section 377D of the Penal Code for gross indecency in a public place.
In mitigation, lawyer R. Purantharan, who represented both the accused, appealed for leniency.
He said Halila is single and financially dependent on her family, while Jegathesan worked as a security guard with a monthly salary of RM1,800, supporting a wife, who had suffered a stroke, and their two children.
“Both accused have pleaded guilty, which has saved the court time and costs that would otherwise have been incurred if the matter had proceeded to trial,” Purantharan said.
Deputy public prosecutor Lau Shavin urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, taking into account the public nature of the offence and sensitivities surrounding the location of the incident.
“An appropriate sentence should be meted out to serve as a lesson to the accused and as a warning to the public not to commit such offences.
“The court should also take note that the first accused is married. The offence was also committed at a cemetery,” she said.
