All Mara-sponsored students should respect the laws of the countries they are residing in to avoid action that may affect their future, said Rural and Regional Development Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.

He said he would never support or appeal on behalf of students convicted for committing offences abroad.

“The law must be respected, no matter where we study. If found guilty, they (the students) have the right to appeal, but the ministry will not support them as we have to respect the laws of other countries,” he told Bernama when asked whether the ministry would consider appealing on behalf of a Mara student who was jailed by Southwark Crown Court in London.

Mara-sponsored student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin was sentenced to nine months jail for committing 13 offences of possessing over 30,000 images and child pornography videos.

British newspapers reported that Nur Fitri was arrested in a police raid on his home in Queensborough Terrace, near Hyde Park, London on Nov 20 last year.

The 23 year-old was a student of Imperial College London.

In the raid, the police seized 600 videos and category ‘A’ photographs defined by British authorities as ‘extreme form of child sexual abuse’.

Nur Fitri went to London to continue his studies last year after obtaining sponsorship from Mara.

- Bernama