CORONAVIRUS | The Alor Setar Sessions Court today rejected a shop assistant's application to postpone a jail sentence for insulting the police on social media related to the Covid-19 outbreak, pending the filing of an appeal with the High Court.

Judge Murtazadi Amran made the decision after considering that the offence committed by Nursahira Mohd Mizuar, 20, was serious and ruled that there was no special reason for the court to grant her application.

On March 31, Nursahira was sentenced to three months' jail and fined RM10,000 or two months' jail, after pleading guilty to making and initiating offensive communications on Facebook with intent to victimise others at a house in Persiaran Kiara Mas, Pendang, at 10.12 pm, March 27.

She was charged with an offence under Section 233 (1) (a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and could be fined up to RM50,000 or jailed a maximum of one year or both and a further fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction.

Earlier, lawyer Naran Singh, representing Nursahira, appealed for the woman's jail term to be postponed, pending the filing of an appeal to the High Court.

"When Nursahira was sentenced on March 31, she was not represented by a lawyer and had no money to pay the fine, but now an entrepreneur has agreed to pay the fine and bear her costs," he said.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Noor Azrul Abd Rahman protested against the application to suspend the execution of the sentence.

It is understood that Nursahira uploaded the status after being angered by a police action ordering her to return home when members of the police conducted an Ops Covid-19 monitoring near Pendang-Kobah Road, Batu Menunggul, in Pendang at about 9 pm.

- Bernama

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