High Court Adds 10-Month Jail For 33 Men Involved In Cheras Riot

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- The High Court here today imposed an additional 10-month jail sentence on the 33 men who were previously fined for their involvement in a riot at an entertainment centre in Cheras earlier this month, which also involved firearms and explosives.

Judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin ordered the 31 accused, aged between 21 and 57, along with two others aged 19, to serve the additional sentence effective today.

The court also issued an arrest warrant against A. Ganesan for failing to appear at the proceedings.

Earlier, Kuala Lumpur Prosecution Director Mohd Nordin Ismail urged the court to impose a heavier punishment, arguing that the earlier fines did not reflect the gravity of the offence.

“They used lorries and weapons during the riot. CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media, and such acts should not occur in this country,” he said, adding that even the younger offenders were mature enough to understand their actions.

He also requested the court to exercise its powers under Section 323 of the Criminal Procedure Code to review the earlier sentence.

Defence counsel Damien Chan, however, submitted that no individuals were injured during the incident and that the accused had pleaded guilty at the Magistrate’s Court and were prepared to compensate for the property damage caused.

On April 10, Magistrate Faezahnoor Hassan had sentenced 32 of the accused to a RM3,000 fine each, or four months’ imprisonment in default. Two others, aged 19, were fined RM2,000 or three months’ jail.

All the accused were charged under Section 148 of the Penal Code for rioting while armed with weapons, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. The offence was alleged to have taken place at a karaoke centre in Cheras at about 7.30 pm on April 5.

Previously, Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Fadil Marsus said the riot was believed to have stemmed from a dispute between business rivals and an element of revenge, with those involved suspected of links to a secret society.

He added that the group had rammed a lorry through the premises’ fence before damaging the front and lobby areas using weapons such as baseball bats.

-- BERNAMA