KUCHING: A total of 13 individuals were charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today for their alleged involvement in a riot that occurred two weeks ago.
The accused, aged between 20 and 34, pleaded not guilty to the charges read before Senior Assistant Registrar Abdurrahman Abrar Jami.
They were charged under Section 148 of the Penal Code for rioting while armed with a deadly weapon, an offence punishable with up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.
According to the charge, the offence was allegedly committed on March 17 at about 10.30 pm at a seafood restaurant in Padawan.
They are accused of taking part in a riot while in possession of plastic chairs and an iron baton, which could be used as weapons.
It is understood that the incident occurred when the 13 accused were attacked by another group of 13 individuals, who are still at large.
The incident is believed to have stemmed from a dispute over a debt amounting to RM12,000 between two members of a criminal gang.
During the proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Aidil Akmal Sharidan offered bail of RM5,000 with one local surety for each of the accused.
However, defence counsel Ralph Lee, who represented 10 of the accused, appealed for a lower bail on the grounds that three of his clients are also complainants in the case.
Aidil, however, stressed that although three of the accused are complainants, they were still involved in the offence under Section 148 of the Penal Code.
He also said the bail amount proposed was to ensure that all the accused would attend court throughout the trial.
The court subsequently granted bail of RM3,500 without deposit with two local sureties for 10 of the accused, while the remaining three were granted bail of RM3,500 with one local surety.
The case has been fixed for pre-trial case management on May 4.
The case was investigated by Investigative Officer, Inspector Awang Iswandi Awang Mahmuddin.
