The Sessions Court here today sentenced 18 men to six days’ jail and a fine of RM1,000 each, in default of three months’ jail, for defying the Movement Control Order (MCO) by attending a friend’s funeral last Thursday.

Judge Tasnim Abu Bakar handed down the sentence after all of them, aged between 19 and 53, pleaded guilty to the charge.

They are K Veeran, P Thanasegaran, J Arvinthan, C Sangkar, M Prabahkaran, J Johnpeter, A Kalaiselvan, S Surendren, N Rubes, M Selvaraju, M Paremesvaren, R Logaarajan, M.Devan, A Prakash, S Rubendran, S Santhakumar, S Parthiban, and L Premkumar.

Two juveniles, aged 15 and 17, who were also at the funeral, pleaded guilty to the charge as well. The court set June 18 for sentencing pending their behaviour report from the Social Welfare Department.

They were jointly charged with being in an infected area without reasonable cause or the permission of a police officer at the Klang police station by gathering at a cemetery in Jalan Keretapi Lama here at 2pm on April 16.

In doing so, they had flouted Regulation 6 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020, which is being enforced under the MCO.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Afiq Zuber requested that the court impose a deterrent sentence as a lesson, as their action went viral on social media and became a matter of public interest.

- Bernama