Da'i Syed Sentenced To 10 Years Imprisonment, Whipping For Rape

SHAH ALAM, Aug 30 (Bernama) -- Celebrity preacher Da'i Syed, whose real name is Syed Shah Iqmal Syed Mohd Shaiful, was convicted on a rape charge by the Sessions Court here today and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and three strokes of the cane.

Judge Norazlin Othman handed down the sentence on the 29-year-old preacher after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubts against the prosecution’s case at the defence case.

She ordered Syed Shah Iqmal to serve the prison sentence from today.

When handing out the sentence, Norazlin said that the accused, being a religious preacher and motivational speaker, had committed an act that defied logic.

"The court took into account the trauma suffered by the victim, who gathered the strength to file a police report against the accused and had to endure a lengthy legal process in court," she said.

Syed Shah Iqmal was charged with raping a 23-year-old woman in a room at a condominium in I-City, Section 7 here, at about 1.35 am on Sept 11, 2019.

The charge, framed under  Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, provides a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and whipping upon conviction.

In her judgment, Judge Norazlin said the court found the defence by Syed Shah Iqmal was a mere denial and an afterthought and concluded that his testimony was insufficient to refute the prosecution's case that the rape indeed occurred.

The prosecution, she said, succeeded in proving that Syed Shah Iqmal was the one who first invited the victim out and brought her to his residence.

"The accused, having a background as a well-known preacher and motivational speaker, held a position of esteem and was trusted by the victim. The prosecution also demonstrated that the victim was vulnerable due to suffering from depression, which rendered her unable to make decisions and resist the accused," she added.

-- BERNAMA