JASIN: A former bus driver and his girlfriend, who were captured in a viral video with the woman sitting on his lap while the vehicle was in motion, have been sentenced to 12 months' and six months imprisonment in jail respectively, and fined RM5,000 each after the duo changed their plea to guilty.
Earlier, Arif Fahmi Abd Salam, 36, and Nur Adila Najwa Ilham Ameerrullah, 21, had claimed trial to the charges read out before Magistrate Mazana Sinin on Friday (April 17).
Magistrate Mazana meted out the sentences on Arif Fahmi and Nur Adila after they changed their pleas on Friday.
According to the charge, both accused, acting together, drove an express bus in a manner dangerous to the public.
The offence was committed at about 7.30pm on April 12 at the exit of the Bemban Rest and Recreational Area (R&R) along the southbound North-South Expressway.
They were charged under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to five years, a fine between RM5,000 and RM15,000 and disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence for not less than five years upon conviction.
In the same proceedings, Nur Adila faced an additional charge under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for uttering abusive and insulting words at a 44-year-old female passenger.
The offence was said to have been committed inside the same express bus at about 6pm on the same day and location. The offence carries a fine not exceeding RM100 upon conviction.
In mitigation, Arif Fahmi pleaded for leniency, stating that he had lost his source of income after being dismissed.
He added that it was their first offence and acknowledged that their actions had brought harm to themselves.
Nur Adila, in her appeal, said she intends to further her studies and had moved from Kedah to Kuala Lumpur to earn some money.
However, prosecutors Mohd Asri Abd Rahman Sidik and Syazwani Mohamad Yusri asked the court to impose a deterrent sentence, citing the seriousness of the offence under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
They argued that the accused had caused public concern over the safety of bus travel and had endangered the lives of 27 passengers, describing the act as wholly unacceptable.
The court sentenced Arif Fahmi to 12 months jail and a RM5,000 fine.
Nur Adila was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and fined RM5,000.
The court also ordered that both accused be disqualified from holding a driving licence for five years.
Nur Adila was further fined RM100, in default 14 days' imprisonment, for the offence under the Minor Offences Act 1955.
On April 13, an eight-second video of the incident went viral on social media, showing the driver allegedly allowing his girlfriend to sit on his lap while the vehicle was in motion.
At the time of the incident, the bus was carrying about 20 passengers travelling from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) in Kuala Lumpur to Larkin, Johor Baru.
