Latest news with #LingswaranSingh
Free Malaysia Today
15 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Tailor claims trial to molesting disabled teen in toilet
Arif Zulfakar Abdul Razak faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine, or caning, or any combination of the two, if convicted. (Pexels pic) KUALA LUMPUR : A 25-year-old tailor pleaded not guilty in the Ampang sessions court today to a charge of outraging the modesty of a disabled teenage girl last month. Arif Zulfakar Abdul Razak, 25, is accused of committing the offence on the 17-year-old girl in the restroom of a vocational training centre at Taman Keramat, Ampang, at about 6.30pm in early May. He was charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' jail, a fine, or caning, or any combination of the two, upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor Norhidayah Abdullah Sani requested bail of RM6,000. Arif's lawyer, Lingswaran Singh, sought a minimal amount, citing his client's employment as a tailor and responsibility as his family's sole breadwinner. Judge Nurulizwan Ahmad Zubir allowed the accused to be released on bail of RM4,000 and fixed July 21 for case mention.
The Sun
29-04-2025
- The Sun
Disabled teenager charged with physical sexual assault to be referred for psychiatric assessment
KUALA LUMPUR: The defence in the case of a girl being sexually assaulted by a disabled teenager in a mosque in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, today requested that the accused be referred to a psychiatrist. Lawyer Lingswaran Singh, representing the 19-year-old accused, told Ampang Sessions Court Judge Norshila Kamarudin that the application to refer his client for psychiatric assessment was made under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code. 'Throughout my interactions with the accused, as well as based on information from his mother, supported by a psychological assessment, the accused displayed behaviour and made statements that raised reasonable doubt. 'All these show that the accused is likely to be suffering from mental health issues and may be incapable of defending himself,' he said. The court then set July 22 for mention to obtain the status of the accused's mental health, his medical report and a forensic report of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) recording. Earlier, the prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nadiah Malek Fauzie, told the court that there were documents that were still pending, namely the CCTV forensic report and the victim's medical report from the Selayang Hospital. The teenager was charged on Feb 27 this year with committing physical sexual assault against the victim, aged 10 years and eight months, at the mosque, at 6.20 am on Feb 12. He initially pleaded guilty but later claimed trial. The charge, framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a whipping, upon conviction.
The Sun
29-04-2025
- The Sun
Disabled teen charged with sexual assault sent for psychiatric check
KUALA LUMPUR: The defence in the case of a girl being sexually assaulted by a disabled teenager in a mosque in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, today requested that the accused be referred to a psychiatrist. Lawyer Lingswaran Singh, representing the 19-year-old accused, told Ampang Sessions Court Judge Norshila Kamarudin that the application to refer his client for psychiatric assessment was made under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code. 'Throughout my interactions with the accused, as well as based on information from his mother, supported by a psychological assessment, the accused displayed behaviour and made statements that raised reasonable doubt. 'All these show that the accused is likely to be suffering from mental health issues and may be incapable of defending himself,' he said. The court then set July 22 for mention to obtain the status of the accused's mental health, his medical report and a forensic report of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) recording. Earlier, the prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nadiah Malek Fauzie, told the court that there were documents that were still pending, namely the CCTV forensic report and the victim's medical report from the Selayang Hospital. The teenager was charged on Feb 27 this year with committing physical sexual assault against the victim, aged 10 years and eight months, at the mosque, at 6.20 am on Feb 12. He initially pleaded guilty but later claimed trial. The charge, framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a whipping, upon conviction.
The Star
29-04-2025
- The Star
Disabled teenager charged with sexual assault to be referred for psychiatric assessment
KUALA LUMPUR: The defence in the case of a girl being sexually assaulted by a disabled teenager in a mosque in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, on Tuesday requested that the accused be referred to a psychiatrist. Lawyer Lingswaran Singh, representing the 19-year-old accused, told Ampang Sessions Court Judge Norshila Kamarudin that the application to refer his client for psychiatric assessment was made under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code. "Throughout my interactions with the accused, as well as based on information from his mother, supported by a psychological assessment, the accused displayed behaviour and made statements that raised reasonable doubt. "All these show that the accused is likely to be suffering from mental health issues and may be incapable of defending himself,' he said. The court then set July 22 for mention to obtain the status of the accused's mental health, his medical report and a forensic report of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) recording. Earlier, the prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nadiah Malek Fauzie, told the court that there were documents that were still pending, namely the CCTV forensic report and the victim's medical report from the Selayang Hospital. The teenager was charged on Feb 27 this year with committing physical sexual assault against the victim, aged 10 years and eight months, at the mosque, at 6.20am on Feb 12. He initially pleaded guilty but later claimed trial. The charge, framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a whipping, upon conviction. - Bernama
New Straits Times
29-04-2025
- New Straits Times
Youth in Batang Kali sex assault case to undergo mental assessment
AMPANG: A man with a learning disability charged with molesting a child inside a mosque in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, will be referred to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Perak, for a psychiatric assessment. The matter was requested by the defence today at the Sessions Court here. This was to enable the accused, Muhamad Adam Haiqal Abdullah, 19, to undergo a mental health evaluation under Section 342(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code. The accused's lawyer, Lingswaran Singh, informed the court that the application was made as his client was incapable of defending himself. "Throughout my interactions with the accused, the information provided by his mother, and supported by a psychological assessment from a public university dated July 15, 2022, the accused exhibited behaviour and made statements which raise reasonable doubt that he may be of unsound mind and incapable of defending himself. "The application under Section 342(1) is for my client to be referred to a government hospital for psychiatric evaluation," he said. Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Nadiah Malek Fauzie said that all case-related documents had been handed over to the defence except for the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage report and the victim's medical report from Selayang Hospital. After hearing arguments from both parties, judge Norshila Kamaruddin set July 22 for further mention of the case, pending the accused's mental health assessment report, the victim's medical report, and forensic analysis of the CCTV footage. Speaking outside the courtroom, Lingswaran said that the application was made to determine whether the accused was fit to stand trial. "He does have an OKU card, but medically speaking, a person considered mentally unsound may still be deemed fit to stand trial from a legal perspective," he said. He added that the final decision would rest with the court, following evaluation by psychiatric professionals. Only then, he said, could a representation be made, either to request a withdrawal of the case or to amend the charge. The unemployed man is accused of committing physical sexual assault against a 10-year-old girl at the Sungai Masin Mosque, Kampung Sungai Masin, Batang Kali, at 6.20am on Feb 21. He was charged under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and faces sentencing under the same section, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment and caning if convicted. Previously, the accused changed his plea to not guilty during the second court proceeding on March 27, after having initially pleaded guilty during the first arraignment. However, the accused has been detained at the Puncak Alam Correctional Centre as his family was unable to afford the bail. Earlier, the media reported that police received a report at 8.19am regarding the incident, which had gone viral on social media, before the suspect was arrested later the same day in Batang Kali. The incident was said to have occurred while the victim was performing prayers in the back row of the women's prayer area at the mosque. CCTV footage that went viral showed a man sneaking into the women's prayer area before hugging a child from behind during the dawn (subuh) prayer. A check by the Social Welfare Department found that the man had been issued an OKU card for learning disabilities since childhood.
