30-06-2025
Five charged with escaping from police lock-up
Pix by KOTA BARU: Five men were charged at the Magistrate's Court here today with escaping from police custody at the Pasir Mas lock-up on June 22.
The accused — Mohd Safiuddin Hanif Mohd Shargawi, 38; Muhamad Norshamzee Mohd Noresan, 32; Mohamad Akmal Mohd Zahari, 31; Mohd Haris Zakaria, 37; and Muhammad Alif Izham Hussim, 23 — pleaded guilty to the charge before magistrate Rais Imran Hamid.
They were alleged to have committed the offence at the Pasir Mas lock-up at 10.20am on June 22.
The charge was framed under Section 224 of the Penal Code for escaping from lawful custody, read together with Section 34 of the same Code. The offence carries a maximum jail term of two years or a fine, or both upon conviction.
The five were also jointly charged in the same court with housebreaking with intent to steal a mobile phone belonging to Kartini Mat Yaacob.
They allegedly committed the offence at a house located at PT 777, Kampung Kubang Bongol, Lemal in Pasir Mas about 10.30am on the same day.
They pleaded guilty to the charge, which was framed under Section 457 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same Code.
Safiuddin was additionally charged with causing hurt to a police officer, Sergeant Mohd Zaidi Muda, by grabbing the officer's neck during the same incident at the Pasir Mas lock-up.
He was charged under Section 332 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant to deter him from carrying out his duties.
Deputy public prosecutor Shazalia Che Suhaimi appeared for the prosecution, while the five were represented by lawyer Nur Amira Mat from Kelantan Legal Aid Foundation.
Shazalia urged the court not to grant bail, stating that four of the accused had previous criminal records and were known to have fled custody in the past.
Nur Amira, meanwhile, appealed for leniency, saying her clients earned modest incomes from various jobs.
"They work as carpenters, labourers, farmers and food stall assistants. Some of them are married with children, while others live with their parents," she said.
The court then fixed Aug 13 for mention of all cases and denied bail for the five accused.
