KUALA LUMPUR – Two security guards pleaded not guilty to abetting a recent petrol bomb attack on an entertainment centre in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng.
M. Preemraj and Nor Rahman Sadik, both aged 25, claimed trial in the sessions court here today before judge Hamidah Mohamed Deril.
They are accused of abetting a suspect – who remains at large – by throwing four bottles filled with petrol that were set alight towards the main entrance of the KGF Club on Jalan Yap Kwan Seng at 2.17am on May 9, causing about RM3,000 in damages.
The duo were charged with the offence framed under Section 109 of the Penal Code for abetment, read together with Section 435 on committing mischief by fire or any explosive substance.
If found guilty, the men face an imprisonment term of up to 14 years and a fine.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Muhairi Mohamed Noh requested for bail to be set at RM15,000 for each accused.
Meanwhile, defence lawyer Yoges M. Verasuntharam applied for a lower bail amount as the duo are the sole income earners for their respective families and are unlikely to abscond prior to the case’s conclusion.
The counsel for both men also said Preemraj could only work as a part-time security guard due to his health condition.
“(Preemraj) suffers from a permanent skull fracture and residual pains from a metal plate in his leg as a result of an accident several years ago,” Yoges said.
Noting that Preemraj is also responsible for sending his mother, who has cancer, to the hospital for checkups, the lawyer requested for bail to be set at RM4,000 for both men.
The defence also submitted for the court’s consideration that Nor Rahman supports his children, aged three and a 17-day-old baby, with a monthly paycheck of RM2,000.
His wife, the lawyer said, is unable to find an alternative source of income as she is still in her confinement period.
Hamidah fixed bail at RM5,000 with one surety for each of the accused, with the next case management scheduled for June 21.
The judge also ordered both accused to present themselves at a police station monthly until the conclusion of their case.
On May 13, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said a total of six people were arrested over the incident affecting an entertainment outlet in the city centre here.
CCTV footage of the incident – showing four men parking their motorcycles on the side of the road outside the nightclub before hurling an object at the premises – had gone viral on social media.
They then fled the scene, while members of the public were seen helping to extinguish the fire.
Rusdi previously said police had recorded statements from the premises owner and the entertainment centre’s manager to assist in the investigation. – May 16, 2024
