MELAKA: A 33-year-old single mother claimed trial at the magistrate's court in Ayer Keroh here to two charges of allegedly possessing obscene material and circulating an edited nude image of a woman through social media.
The plea of the accused, T.V. Pavithra, 33, was recorded before Magistrate Sharda Shienha Mohd Suleiman on Thursday (July 2).
Based on the first charge, the accused was allegedly found in possession of obscene material stored in her smartphone at a condominium unit in Kota Laksamana Jaya at about 6.15pm on June 28.
The offence was framed under Section 290 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment, a fine or both upon conviction.
Under the second charge, the accused was alleged to have intentionally used social media to disseminate an edited nude image of a 36-year-old woman.
The act was allegedly likely to cause harassment, distress, fear or anxiety to the victim.
The alleged offence was committed at a house in Taman Melaka Raya in the Melaka Tengah district at about 11pm on June 24.
The accused was charged under Section 507B of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to three years, a fine or both if convicted.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Syaza Nur Sharif requested the court to set bail of RM10,000 with an additional condition.
The condition required the accused to refrain from contacting or interfering with the victim and prosecution witnesses until the end of the proceeding.
Lawyer Muhammad Izzuddin Ab Malek, representing the accused, appealed for a lower bail.
He stated that the accused is a single mother raising a child on an income of about RM2,000 a month from an online business.
He also told the court that the accused is the sole breadwinner for her mother and a younger sibling who has physical and mental disabilities.
The court set the bail at RM5,000 with one surety and fixed Aug 5 as the re-mention date.
