Indonesian actor and model Samudera Hurley Taylor was fined RM500 by the Magistrate’s Court here today after pleading guilty to two offences involving disorderly conduct and using insulting words towards airline staff at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Magistrate Khairatul Animah Jelani imposed a RM400 fine for the first charge and RM100 for the second charge. The court also ordered the 24-year-old to serve one month in jail for each offence if he failed to settle the fines.
The charges were read to Samudera in Bahasa Melayu after he confirmed that he understood the language.
For the first offence, Samudera was fined for failing to follow lawful instructions from auxiliary police officers at KLIA. He was accused of disrupting public order and flight operations by refusing to remain calm, stop causing a disturbance and proceed directly to board his flight.
He faced another charge for allegedly causing public disturbance by behaving in a disorderly manner, including shouting and using abusive language towards airline employees and auxiliary police officers at the airport.
The offences were said to have taken place between 7.20pm and 8.12pm on July 27 at Gate 4 of the KLIA main terminal building.
During mitigation, his lawyer Shah Wira Abdul Halim said Samudera had apologised to the court, police and airline staff over his actions. He explained that his client, who was travelling from Cambodia to Jakarta, Indonesia, had acted inappropriately after consuming alcohol and being prevented from boarding the flight.
The lawyer added that Samudera had no previous convictions in Malaysia and requested a rehabilitative sentence.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Nabihah Sofian, however, urged the court to impose an appropriate punishment, saying the incident had disrupted airport operations and affected staff members as well as travellers.
Separately, Samudera also pleaded guilty to a charge of self-administering 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid, a substance related to cannabis.
The alleged offence took place at the KLIA Airport Management Centre toilet at about 5.40pm on July 28. The charge carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or imprisonment of up to two years upon conviction.
The prosecution did not offer bail pending a pathology report, but the defence requested a minimal amount while awaiting the results.
The court later granted bail of RM3,000 with two local sureties, ordered Samudera to surrender his passport and required him to report to a police station once a month.
The case has been fixed for mention on Sept 9. Following the proceedings, his bail was posted and the RM500 fine for the airport-related offences was paid.
