Kuala lumpur: The High Court here has sentenced a trader to four months' imprisonment, effective today, on two charges of causing hurt and making death threats against an elderly man in a recent road rage incident along Jalan Cheras-Hulu Langat.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin delivered the ruling, setting aside the Kajang Magistrate's Court's Feb 10 decision, which had fined 52-year-old Saiful Adli Yusof RM5,500. Aslam stated that the High Court, under Section 323 of the Criminal Procedure Code, recalled the case, overturned the lower court's decision, and imposed a custodial sentence in its place.
During the proceedings, the 70-year-old victim, Liew Khoon Foo, read his impact statement in Mandarin, describing severe trauma. He expressed his fear of leaving home or driving and detailed serious injuries he sustained, including six stitches to his tongue, which made eating difficult. "I fear he may hold a grudge and come after me again. I feel unsafe because he is extremely violent, and I appeal for an appropriate sentence," he said.
Saiful Adli's lawyer, Muhammad Syakir Haznal, argued that his client did not immediately assault the victim. Instead, he first knocked on the car door, and a discussion took place between the two men. Meanwhile, Saiful Adli, speaking from the dock, admitted he lost his judgment after his multi-purpose vehicle was struck by the victim, causing his three-day-old child to slip from his wife's arms and fall. "I had honked, but he fled, ran a red light, and we pursued him for about 500 metres. At the time, I was on my way to find a breast pump," he said.
Deputy public prosecutor Shahrul Ekhsan Hasim described the respondent's actions as extremely cruel, noting that viral footage showed the victim being both kicked and punched. "This country has laws. The respondent's conduct amounts to reckless road rage and bullying, causing injury and threats. We urge the court to reassess the sentence to instill a sense of accountability," he said.
On Feb 10, the Kajang Magistrate's Court fined Saiful Adli RM5,500 after he pleaded guilty to two charges of causing hurt and criminal intimidation against an elderly man along Jalan Cheras-Hulu Langat on Feb 8. Magistrate Fatin Dayana Jalil imposed the fine and ordered him to serve eight months' imprisonment in default of payment. He was accused of intentionally injuring Liew by punching and kicking him in the face and body at Jalan Cheras-Hulu Langat, Batu 9, Cheras, at 4.05 pm on the day of the incident. The charge was brought under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which carries up to one year's imprisonment, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both upon conviction. The father of four was also charged under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation at the same time and location, an offence punishable with up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.