11-07-2025
Vietnamese woman jailed for prostitution
Published on: Friday, July 11, 2025
Published on: Fri, Jul 11, 2025
By: Jo Ann Mool Text Size: This was charged under Section 372B of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of up to one year's imprisonment, a fine, or both, on conviction. Kota Kinabalu: A 33-year-old Vietnamese woman was jailed three months by the Magistrate's Court here Thursday for soliciting for the purpose of prostitution. Thi Hong Dang, 33, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Wan Farrah Fariza Wan Ghazali after the charge was read to her by a Vietnamese interpreter. Thi was found committing the offence at 10pm on June 19, this year, at a reflexology centre in the city. This was charged under Section 372B of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of up to one year's imprisonment, a fine, or both, on conviction. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Akaash Singh informed the court that on the night of the incident, a police team raided the premises and found a woman, later identified as Thi, naked with a male customer inside a room. The customer told police that he had paid RM350 at the front counter in exchange for sexual services from Thi, the court heard. Thi, who was not represented, requested a lower fine, telling the court that she is married with three children. She also applied to contact her family, as she had not been in touch with them since her arrest and wished to inform them so she could ask for money to pay the fine. Akaash informed the court that Thi had no previous convictions but urged for a deterrent sentence. He also applied for her to be referred to the Immigration Department, noting that while her passport is still valid, her visa had already expired. The court ordered Thi to serve the sentence from the date of her arrest and be referred to the Immigration Department thereafter. Meanwhile, a 35-year-old man was tentatively charged with trafficking 55gm of 3,4 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). No plea was recorded from Hiew Vui Shung after the charge was read out to him. Hiew, a trader, was accused of committing the offence at 10.45pm on June 27, this year, in front of the Ski Hotel's lobby here. The charge is framed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries a punishment of either the death penalty or life in prison and whipping with a minimum of 15 strokes. The court fixed Aug 19 for mention pending the chemist's report. Hiew, who appeared before Magistrate Marilyn Kelvin, was ordered remanded further pending the date as the charge against him has no provision for bail. In another case, a woman was fined RM1,600, or jailed one month for operating an illegal public lottery gambling activity known as Wah Hui. Silma Abdul admitted to committing the offence on May 15, this year, at 12 noon, in a premises at Sinsuran here. The facts of the case presented by the prosecution stated that the police, who raided the area, found Silma committing the offence and seized gambling paraphernalia, including RM210 in cash from her. Silma was charged under Section 9(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which provides for a fine of up to RM5,000, or up to six months' jail', or both, on conviction. The court ordered the seized money to be forfeited as government revenue. Inspector Yusdi Basri prosecuted. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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