Retail Assistant Fined RM14,000 For Producing, Sharing Offensive Videos

SEPANG, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- A retail assistant was fined RM14,000 by the Sessions Court today for two charges of producing and sharing videos with offensive content on her Twitter account three years ago.

Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman handed down the sentence on Siti Amiza Baharuddin, 28, after she admitted guilt to the charges, which the court interpreter read out.

The court imposed a fine of RM7,000 for each charge, with six months’ imprisonment in default. Ahmad Fuad also ordered that the case items, a laptop and a mobile phone, be surrendered to the prosecution for further action.

“The accused initiated the communication for commercial purposes, but the manner in which you did so was against the norms of our society. The law is designed to safeguard public morality and prevent such communication,” the judge said.

Earlier, defence lawyer Ahmad Hafiz A. Bakar urged the court to impose a minimum fine, arguing that his client’s guilty plea warranted consideration and that the case had affected her physical and mental health.

However, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Deputy Public Prosecutor Fadhli Ab Wahab pressed for a deterrent sentence, citing public interest.

Siti Amiza was accused of knowingly posting obscene videos on her Twitter account, @MizaNegro, with the intent to annoy others on Dec 18, 2022, at 10.14 pm and Sept 13, 2022, at 7.47 pm.

MCMC detected both posts on May 19, 2023, at 10.08 am and 4.34 pm at its headquarters, Tower 1, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, 63000 Cyberjaya, Sepang, Selangor.

The charges were framed under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and punishable under Section 233(3), which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000, a jail term of up to one year, or both.

-- BERNAMA