A retired headmaster who posted a threatening message on social media targeting forensic pathologist Dr Jessie Hiu was today fined RM10,000, with a two-month jail term in default, by the Sessions Court.
Judge Marlina Ibrahim imposed the sentence on 61-year-old Kamul Kamarudin after he changed his plea to guilty.
Kamul admitted to posting the message with the intention of causing annoyance, which Dr Hiu read on September 5 at about 4.15pm in Taman Luyang.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which carries a maximum penalty of RM500,000, two years’ imprisonment, or both, along with an additional RM5,000 fine for each day the offence continues after conviction.
According to case facts, Dr Hiu, a forensic pathologist with Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Forensic Department, had served as the first witness in the inquest into Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death on September 3 and 4.
The following day, Sabah Health Director Dr William Gotulis spotted a threatening comment under a video featuring Dr Hiu on Facebook. He captured a screenshot and sent it to her, believing it posed a danger to her safety.
After reading the message, Dr Hiu felt threatened and her daily movements were affected, prompting her to lodge a police report the same day.
Kamul was arrested on September 7. Investigators seized a Redmi Note 11 Pro mobile phone logged into a Facebook account under the name “Amung Kamaruddin”. Telco and personal identification records confirmed the account belonged to him.
Deputy public prosecutors Lovely Natasha Charles and Eugenie Meredith Gilbert handled the prosecution, while lawyers Rizwandean M. Borhan and Elhanan James represented the accused.
Kamul initially pleaded guilty on September 11 but later changed his plea after the charge was read. He was previously released on RM20,000 bail with two sureties pending the case outcome.
