KAJANG - A part-time worker at a car rental company was fined RM100 by the Magistrate's Court here 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, Nurul Hafzan asked the defendant what led him to commit the act, to which Tariq Hazim replied, "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," Nurul Hafzan said.
Tariq Hazim was accused of committing the act, which could potentially disrupt the peace at the said restaurant at Batu 10, Jalan Hulu Langat here at 4.42 pm on May 29.
He was charged under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, which carries a maximum fine of RM100.
According to the facts of the case, on May 29, at around 7 pm, 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 corridor, and front entrance of the premises.
The woman 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 Hazim’s lawyer Nabilla Rosli from the National Legal Aid Foundation appealed for leniency, requesting a minimum fine, saying he only earns RM2,500 per month.
She explained that the defendant has to take care of his wife who is unemployed, his mother who has gout, and his father who has heart disease as well as support his mother-in-law.
"He regrets his mistake and apologises to everyone," she added.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Husna Amran requested a deterrent sentence, taking into account public interest factors. - BERNAMA