Court rejects lorry driver guilty plea over assault due to photo discrepancy
GEORGE TOWN: The magistrate's court here today rejected a guilty plea by an assistant lorry driver charged with assaulting a policeman at the state police contingent headquarters, after the accused failed to identify several photographs related to the incident.
S.R. Aingaran, 19, had earlier pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury to Ahmad Jabarul Yahya Arif, 31, by punching him in the cheek and biting his chest during an incident at the guard post of the headquarters around 9.40pm on Sunday.
However, magistrate Nurul Suhaila Baharin declined to accept the plea after Aingaran was unable to recognise some of the images presented in court.
"The court does not accept your guilty plea as you failed to identify several photographs presented to you," she said.
The charge, framed under Section 323 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum sentence of one year's imprisonment, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both, upon conviction.
The court fixed July 21 for mention and for the accused to appoint legal representation, as well as for document submission.
Deputy public prosecutor Lau Shavin proposed bail at RM5,000, but S. Bommy, a lawyer from the National Legal Aid Foundation, appealed for a lower sum, citing the accused's financial situation.
"My client is only 19 years old and earns RM1,800 a month as an assistant lorry driver," she said.
The court subsequently set bail at RM3,000 with one surety, and warned the accused and his family against contacting or harassing the victim.
"If any complaint is received, the court will revoke the bail," the magistrate said.
It was earlier reported that two men, aged 19 and 20, were arrested for allegedly assaulting a policeman near the main gate of the state police headquarters on suspicion of being intoxicated.
The incident reportedly occurred after the 30-year-old policeman conducted an initial check and brought the duo into the guard post for further inspection. Inside, they allegedly became aggressive, punching the officer and biting his chest, while also hurling verbal abuse.
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