A marketing officer pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrates' Court over a charge of making insulting statements in connection with the death of 15-year-old Nora Anne Quoirin last week.

Muhammad Zikri Ibrahim, 29, recorded his plea when the charge was read to him in front of Magistrate Noorasyikin Sahat.

He is accused of using Twitter, via the account ‘Zikri Armstrong’, of committing intentional insult against the Orang Asli community with the intent of provoking a breach of the peace at 8.30pm on Aug 14.

Clad in blue jeans and blue T-shirt, Zikri was charged under Section 504 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to two years, a fine or both upon conviction.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim asked for an RM10,000 bail to be imposed, but the accused, represented by lawyer Muhammad Syazwan Mohd Salleh, pleaded for a lower amount on the grounds that his client was about to get married in December.

The court then set bail at RM6,000 with one surety and fixed Sept 19 for mention.

The media had reported of a Twitter posting that went viral, allegedly from the ‘Zikri Armstrong’ account, about the death of Quoirin.

The Franco-Irish teenager was missing for 10 days in the jungles surrounding a resort in Pantai, Seremban before being found dead.

On Aug 16, police detained a man allegedly responsible for the posting when he presented himself at the Seremban police headquarters to record his statement. 

- Bernama