A 57-year-old man was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment by the Magistrates’ Court here today after pleading guilty to tearing pages of the Quran and scattering them on a public road.
Mohamad Jais Yusuf admitted to the charge under Section 295 of the Penal Code before Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali. The offence carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
According to the charge, Mohamad Jais intentionally defiled the Quran by tearing out several pages and scattering them on a public road, with the intention of insulting Islam or knowing that the act was likely to offend the religion. The incident occurred at about 8.40pm on Jalan Borneo on Jan 23.
Case facts revealed that a police report was lodged on Jan 24 after a video circulated on Facebook showing torn pages of the Quran scattered along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Borneo. Police arrested the accused on Monday.
Investigations found that the act was witnessed by a member of the public and was also captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.
Police also confirmed that Mohamad Jais tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine. During investigations, he admitted to committing the act and claimed that he heard Satan urging him to do so. He was aware of his actions at the time.
The accused has prior criminal records involving narcotics and other offences. It is understood that he does not possess an OKU card or any psychiatric certification.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly appeared for the prosecution, while Mohamad Jais was unrepresented by legal counsel.
