KOTA KINABALU: The Magistrate’s Court here yesterday rejected the guilty plea of a Filipino youth who was charged with selling 53 pirated DVDs.
Magistrate Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim ordered Mohd Jamil Sariul, 19, to stand trial after he denied the DVDs, which were tendered by the prosecution as exhibits, belonged to him.
The accused, who is an IMM13 holder, told the court that all the DVDs seized from him belonged to his friend and he was only asked to sell them.
He was charged under Section 18 (4) (a) of the Film Censorship Act 2002, which provides for a fine of not less than RM5,000 or not more than RM30,000 or a maximum jail of three years, or both.
The accused was caught during an operation by an officer from the Home Ministry’s Enforcement and Film Censorship Control Division Unit, Sabah branch, for allegedly selling the DVDs containing 188 films of various titles without the ‘B’ certificate at a vegetable market next to the handicraft market here at 5.55pm on July 21.
Noor Hafizah fixed October 3 this year for Mohd Jamil’s trial date and released him on RM2,000 bail deposited with two local sureties, pending disposal of his case.
Home Ministry Department prosecuting officer (PO) Mohd Nasri Abdul Mutalib prosecuted the case.
Meanwhile, the court fixed October 4 and 6 this year for the trial of a local man for possessing 31,200 obscene picture covers and selling 11,718 pornographic DVDs.
Noor Hafizah set the hearing date for David Tang Ting Huat, 33, after he maintained his plea of not guilty when the case came up for mention yesterday.
The two charges alleged Tang of possessing obscene picture covers and selling the pornographic DVDs at a shop at the Plaza Grand Millennium in Penampang at 3.05pm on July 16.
Both the charges were framed under Section 292 (a) of the Penal Code which carries a maximum jail of three years or a fine or with both and under Section 5 (1) (a) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 which provides for a fine of not less than RM10,000 and not more than RM50,000 or a jail term of up to five years and with both, upon conviction, respectively.
The accused is currently released on RM5,000 bail deposited with two local sureties.
Prosecuting officer Chief Inspector Ismail Mohd Razali appeared for the prosecution.