MIRI: A man has been sentenced to one week’s imprisonment and fined RM2,000 after admitting to a charge of insulting the modesty of another person by allegedly attempting to record an individual in a public toilet cubicle.
The sentence was handed down by the Magistrates’ Court in Miri after the accused pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 509 of the Penal Code.
According to the facts of the case, the incident occurred at about 11am on Jun 5 at the men’s toilet in Imperial Mall, Miri.
The court heard that the complainant became suspicious after noticing the accused crouching in front of a toilet cubicle and pointing the camera of his mobile phone underneath the cubicle door, apparently in an attempt to record the occupant inside.
Realising that he had been spotted, the accused allegedly attempted to flee the scene.
However, he was caught by the complainant before being handed over to police officers who were subsequently called to the location.
Investigators later seized an iPhone 11 belonging to the accused. The device was produced in court as an exhibit during proceedings.
Section 509 of the Penal Code criminalises acts, words or gestures intended to insult the modesty of a person.
Such offences are regarded seriously under Malaysian law, particularly where privacy and personal dignity are violated.
