BUTTERWORTH, Jan 17 —- An engineer pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate's Court here today for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol that resulted in the death of two individuals in December last year.
Teoh Joo Leong, 47, claimed trial when the charge was read out to him before Magistrate Siti Zulaikha Nordin @ Ghani.
According to the charge sheet, Teoh was driving with an alcohol level exceeding the permitted limit, causing the death of two teachers, Muhammad Fakhrul Rodzi Fauzi, 31, and Muhammed Ahsan Mohamed Ayub, 32 at Jalan Permatang Baru near here, at about 2.30 am on December16, last year.
He was charged under Section 44(1)(b) of the Road Transport Act 1987 which carries a jail term of between 10 and 15 years, and a fine of between RM50,000 and RM100,000.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurameera Shahrul Azrin asked the court to set a RM10,000 bail in one surety.
In the mitigation, lawyer Chew Anthony, representing the accused, pleaded for minimum bail stating that his client is a widower with three school-going children and elderly parents to care for.
Siti Zulaikha set bail at RM8,000 in one surety and fixed March 7 for submission of the document.
— Bernama