A laboratory assistant who previously made headlines over a fatal road crash that claimed the life of a motorcyclist has changed his plea to not guilty in a separate drug-related case before the Magistrate’s Court.
R. Saktygaanapathy, 28, entered the new plea after the amended charge was read before Magistrate Nor Azilah Mat on Wednesday.
The accused had earlier pleaded guilty when he was first charged during court proceedings on April 1.
Under the amended charge, Saktygaanapathy is accused of administering to himself a dangerous drug identified as 11-Nor-Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-9-Carboxylic Acid at the Narcotics Office of the South Klang District Police Headquarters at about 3.30pm on March 29.
The charge was framed under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Speaking outside the courtroom, defence lawyer Aravind Raj explained that his client was not represented by legal counsel when he initially entered his guilty plea.
“After I explained the nature of the case and the consequences of pleading guilty, he decided to change his plea to not guilty,” the lawyer said.
During proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Sulfie Abu Hassan informed the court that the chemistry report related to the case had yet to be obtained.
The court subsequently fixed July 22 for the next mention of the case.
Meanwhile, the murder charge faced by Saktygaanapathy was also mentioned before Magistrate A. Karthiyayini, who set the same date for further proceedings after Deputy Public Prosecutor Aqharie Durranie Aziz informed the court that the post-mortem report was still pending.
Saktygaanapathy is accused of murdering 33-year-old Amirul Hafiz Omar along Jalan Raya Barat at approximately 11.47am on March 29.
The case attracted widespread public attention after Amirul Hafiz was killed in a horrific crash. Reports stated that the motorcyclist’s body was flung into the air before landing on another vehicle after being struck by a car during the incident.
Both cases remain under investigation as authorities await key forensic and medical reports before proceeding further.
