JOHOR BARU: A cleaning supervisor has pleaded not guilty to four counts of injuring and robbing different Rohingya men of items including a grass cutting machine and chainsaw.
Muhammad Haziq Mohd Rizal, 26, pleaded not guilty to the charges that were read in three separate courtrooms on Thursday (Sept 17).
He faced separate charges for allegedly robbing three Rohingya men respectively on Aug 21, Aug 26 and Sept 9 at different locations in Taman Perling, where he made away with a chainsaw, a motorcycle key as well as a grass cutting machine, motorcycle keys and a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card.
He was charged under Section 392 of the Penal Code, punishable with a jail term of up to 14 years, a fine and caning upon conviction.
For the fourth charge, Muhammad Haziq also pleaded not guilty to voluntarily causing hurt towards another Rohingya man on Sept 9 at a playground in Taman Perling.
He was charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which is punishable with a jail term of up to a year or RM2,000 fine, or both upon conviction.
The accused’s lawyer Mohd Azlan Shah Mohd Allias asked for a reduced bail amount, citing that his client has to take care of his family, including his 24-year-old wife who is not working.
Sessions judges N. Kanageswari and Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim set bail at RM15,000 in total for the three robbery charges while magistrate A. Shaarmini set bail at RM1,000 for the fourth charge.
The accused was also instructed to report to the nearest police station once a month and hand over his passport to the court.
The courts fixed Oct 28 for next mention for the robbery charges and Oct 8 for the charge of voluntarily causing hurt.
