SEPANG, Aug 21 — An English teacher of a secondary school was charged in the Magistrate's Court today with causing public alarm for allegedly spreading unverified information regarding the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir.
Siti Hajar Aflah Sharuddin, 39, pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Khairatul Animah Jelani.
She was alleged to have spread false statements, claiming that Zara died after being put in a washing machine, on her TikTok account 'SHA_Abrienda' at 1.20pm on August 6, with the intent to cause alarm to the public.
The statement was seen and heard by a police officer at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2 (T2).
Siti is charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, which provides imprisonment for up to two years or a fine or both, if convicted.
Earlier, Deputy Prosecutor Nadia Mohd Izhar offered bail of RM10,000 with one surety for the accused.
Lawyer Mohamad Zaiful Bahrin Kamde, representing Siti, applied for a lower bail of RM3,000 on the grounds that his client is a single mother with three school-going children and an elderly parent to support.
“My client is a teacher at the Education Ministry Malaysia (KPM) with an income of RM5,000 a month.
“She also supports three children aged 10, 11, and 12, and parents aged 65 and 66, with the mother suffering a mild stroke,” he said, adding that the accused cooperated with the authorities during the investigation and surrendered to the police station and was not a flight risk.
The court granted Siti bail of RM4,000 with one surety and set October 9 for mention.
It was reported that Zara, a Form One student at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in Limauan, Sabah, was found unconscious near the school’s dormitory drain at 4am and died a day later at the Queen Elizabeth I Hospital, Kota Kinabalu.
