MUAR: "If I admit my mistake, can my sentence be reduced?" asked a painter as he appeared in the magistrate's court today, charged with assaulting his girlfriend's husband last month.
The accused, Mohd Rashimi Mahmood, 43, a father of three, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read by the interpreter before magistrate Suzana Mokhtar.
According to the charge, the accused allegedly injured the 42-year-old husband of his girlfriend in front of a house in Jalan Salleh, Parit Setongkat, at 6pm on Nov 27.
Charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code, he faced up to one year in prison or a fine of RM2,000, or both, upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, the complainant, who was the victim, had gone to the accused's home to persuade his wife to return after being separated for three days.
However, the victim ended up scolding his wife, prompting the accused to intervene.
The situation escalated when the accused punched the victim, inflicting injuries to his abdomen, arm and thigh. The victim later received treatment at Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital.
Deputy public prosecutor Nur Aqiilah Ahmad Rofaie prosecuted the case and the accused was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) lawyer Siti Nurashikin Fuaddin.
Following his not guilty plea, the court scheduled Jan 13 for the submission of documents and granted bail of RM2,000 in one surety.
The court also ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station monthly and to refrain from disturbing the victim or prosecution witnesses until the case concluded.
In a separate case, the accused was later slapped with another charge for testing positive for drugs.
For this, he pleaded guilty and the court imposed a RM2,000 fine, with a five-month prison sentence if he failed to pay.