Man jailed three times for insulting King, charged again

KUALA LUMPUR - A butcher, who was jailed three times for insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on social media, was charged again with a similar offence in the Sessions Court here.

Sharil Mohd Sarif, 40, pleaded guilty to two counts of making and initiating the transmission of offensive communications against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong.

Earlier, the accused, who was unrepresented, informed the court that he was undergoing psychiatric treatment at Sungai Petani Hospital in Kedah.

"I am on medication and suffering from mental problems,” he said.

Judge N. Priscilla Hemamalini ordered Sharil to be referred to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Perak, to undergo a psychiatric examination, after deputy public prosecutor Nurilya Ellyna Nor Azmal, told the court that the accused had only been given verbal information about his mental health, without any supporting documents.

"The order is in accordance with Section 342 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code,” the judge said.

The court then fixed June 16 for mention of the psychiatric report.

According to the first and second charges, Sharil was charged with knowingly making and initiating the transmission of insulting communications, with intent to annoy others, via SharilSarif39 Twitter account, between 5.28am and 5.30am on March 12.

The charges, framed under Section 233 (1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and punishable under Section 233 (3) of the same law, provide a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to a year or both, upon conviction, and a further fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction.

On April 26, 2019, Sharil was sentenced to two months in jail by the Sessions Court here, after he pleaded guilty to insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Facebook.

Then, on July 6, 2020, he was sentenced to 10 months in jail by the same court for allegedly insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, on Instagram.

On Sept 24, 2021, Sharil was sentenced to one year in jail and fined RM20,000 by the Sessions Court here for insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Twitter. - BERNAMA