Wednesday August 8, 2007
19-year-old in IC case freed after six months
BY M.MAGESWARI
KUALA LUMPUR: A 19-year-old youth, who has been in the Kajang prison for more than six months after pleading guilty to an identity card offence, was finally freed yesterday.
Jeff Lee Kwong Yong, who was arrested on Jan 31 for failing to produce his IC to a policewoman at Jalan Sultan here at about 3pm.
He pleaded guilty to the offence on Feb 5 but could not raise the RM1,000 bail.
The offence carries a jail term of up to three years, or a fine of between RM3,000 and RM20,000, or both.
Jeff’s sentencing was, however, postponed five times for various reasons, including a mismatch of his IC number, and the unavailability of a probation report and a fingerprint report on him.
Yesterday, magistrate Tasnim Abu Bakar sentenced Jeff, who is from Sabah, to six months and seven days in jail – the exact period he has been in prison. She also ordered the jail term to run from the date of his arrest on Jan 31.
Jeff's stay in jail could have been longer. His next court date was originally slotted for Aug 24 but it was brought forward after the Bar Council, through its Criminal Law committee chairman Datuk V. Sithambaram, requested for an earlier date.
This followed a front-page report in the Sunday Star on Aug 5, highlighting his plight. Jeff was reported to be one of 2,718 male juveniles aged 14 to 20 who were in detention at the Kajang, Sungai Buloh and Simpang Renggam prisons as at May this year for various offences.
Yesterday, Sithambaram questioned the many delays involving Lee's case, saying that it was unfortunate that his client had to be detained for so long for a minor offence.
He said his client had lost his wallet together with his IC a day before his arrest and had intended to lodge a police report over the matter.
“But he had forgotten his IC number. I believe the police can obtain the particulars of an identity card online (with the NRD) and it should have been done earlier.
“The police should have also checked his particulars with his former employer,” he added.
Sithambaram also told the court that the probation report was already prepared on April 3.
“Why was there this delay in his sentencing? “ he asked.
The magistrate also asked Jeff how he could not remember his IC number, saying one should remember.
Jeff replied he was confused at the time, when he was arrested.
Tasnimthen questioned investigating officer Sjn P. Jeyabalan over the delay in the case.
Sjn Jeyabalan said Jeff had given the wrong IC number and the case file also involved the arrest of two juveniles and an adult.
“The case was referred to the deputy public prosecutor, who suggested that a fingerprints report be compiled,” he said, adding that he was also on medical leave in March.
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