KUCHING: A 25-year-old man was fined RM200, in default three days imprisonment, by the Magistrates Court here today for committing a public nuisance by jumping off the Darul Hana Bridge into the Sarawak River in an incident that went viral on social media last month.
Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan imposed the fine on Mohamad Sufian Daud, after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 268 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 290 of the same Code, which provides for a fine of up to RM400 upon conviction.
According to the charge, Sufian committed the offence at about 10:30 pm on July 23 at the Darul Hana Bridge here.
He was accused of causing a public nuisance by jumping into the Sarawak River from the edge of the pedestrian bridge, an act that caused annoyance to members of the public using the public facility.
The facts of the case revealed that police launched an investigation after a 28-second video of the incident, uploaded on a Facebook page went viral.
Investigations established that the accused had deliberately jumped from the bridge into the river, causing disturbance and inconvenience to members of the public using the area.
In mitigation, Sufian told the court that he had been walking with friends when he was allegedly taunted by an unknown individual from Peninsular Malaysia, who challenged him to prove he was a “true Sarawakian” by jumping off the bridge.
He said the individual also mentioned a RM20 bet, but insisted he did not jump for the money.
Instead, he claimed he accepted the challenge to prove his courage after feeling insulted by the remarks.
It was understood that the man who allegedly issued the challenge was unknown to the accused.
The case stemmed from an incident that attracted widespread public attention after footage of the jump circulated online.
Earlier, Kuching Police Chief, ACP Alexson Naga Chabu, had said the suspect was arrested by the district Criminal Investigation Division (CID) along Jalan Sekama at about 10:00 pm on July 25.
Police had also disclosed that the accused has seven previous criminal records, while an initial urine screening tested positive for drugs.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly. The accused was unrepresented
Inspector Muhammad Aliff Aiman was the investigating officer.
