KAJANG, June 6 — A car rental company's part-time worker was fined RM100 by the Magistrate's Court today after pleading guilty to placing Israeli flag stickers at a fast-food restaurant last month.
Magistrate Nurul Hafzan Ab Aziz also ordered Tariq Hazim Mohd Yusri, 25, to serve a one-day jail sentence if he failed to settle the fine. The defendant paid the fine.
Before delivering the sentence, she questioned Tariq on why he committed the act, to which he said: "I placed the Israeli flag stickers at the fast-food restaurant because I was angry after some of my family members died in Palestine."
"You need to consider the consequences of your actions because if you do such things, it will not make the situation any better," responded Nurul.
Tariq was accused of committing the act, which could potentially disrupt the peace, at said restaurant in Batu 10, Jalan Hulu Langat, at 4.42pm last Wednesday (May 29).
He was charged under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, which carries a maximum fine of RM100.
According to the case facts, on May 29, at 7pm, while a woman (the complainant) was working at a fast-food restaurant at a petrol station in Hulu Langat, she noticed Israeli flag stickers affixed to the floor, outside the premises' corridor and front entrance.
She reported the matter to her manager, and upon examining the CCTV footage, the defendant was seen committing the act before leaving in a car.
Tariq's lawyer Nabilla Rosli from the National Legal Aid Foundation appealed for leniency, requesting a minimum fine as he only earns RM2,500 per month.
She said the defendant has to take care of his unemployed wife, his gout-affected mother, his father suffering from heart disease, as well as his mother-in-law.
“He regrets his mistake and apologises to everyone," Nabilla said.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Husna Amran requested a deterrent sentence, taking into account public interest factors.
— Bernama
