PETALING JAYA: A female clerk has been sentenced to six years’ jail and fined RM6,000 by the High Court in Johor Bahru for reckless driving in connection with the deaths of eight teenagers on modified bicycles, or “basikal lajak”, five years ago.
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Sam Ke Ting, 27, was ordered to serve another six months in prison if she did not pay the fine.
She was also disqualified from driving for three years, effective immediately after she completes her prison sentence.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers had appealed against a magistrates’ court decision to acquit Sam for causing the death of the eight cyclists at Jalan Lingkaran Dalam in Johor Bahru at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017.
Judge Abu Bakar Katar, in his decision on the appeal of the case, said the prosecution had succeeded in proving a prima facie case against Sam, according to Berita Harian.
He also said the trial court was found to have erred in reconsidering the issue raised at the end of the prosecution case, with regards to the identity of the driver, admissibility of exhibits and no identification of the victims.
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The magistrates’ court in Johor Bahru had acquitted and discharged Sam, a sales clerk, at the end of the prosecution’s case without calling for her defence on Oct 28, 2019.
However, the Johor Bahru High Court ordered Sam to enter her defence on Feb 18 last year after allowing the prosecution’s appeal.
The court held that the prosecution had proved a prima facie case against her and set aside the magistrate’s decision.
Sam, who was 22 at the time of the incident, was charged under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of RM20,000, upon conviction.
The eight victims were Mohamad Azrie Danish Zulkefli, 14 (at the time of the incident), Muhamad Shahrul Izzwan Azzuraimie, 14; Muhammad Firdauz Danish Mohd Azhar, 16; Fauzan Halmijan, 13; Mohamad Azhar Amir, 16; Muhammad Harith Iskandar Abdullah, 14; Muhammad Shahrul Nizam Marudin, 14; and Haizad Kasrin, 16.-FMT