Three foreign minors aged 11 and 12 appeared in a Bukit Mertajam court to face charges of criminally intimidating a 71-year-old woman with weapons including an iron rod and stones following a neighborhood noise dispute.
Court Proceedings in Bukit Mertajam
The three Myanmar nationals, comprising two 11-year-olds and one 12-year-old, entered pleas of not guilty before Magistrate Roshayati Radellah when the charges were read for the second time. The court session followed an initial police operation where four boys were initially detained, though formal charges were ultimately brought against three members of the group.
Prosecutors jointly accused the trio of threatening to injure the elderly neighbor using a mop, an iron rod, a white fluorescent light tube, and stones. The alleged confrontation took place around 6 p.m. on October 22 in front of a residence along Tingkat Binjai Empat Belas in Taman Sri Rambai.
prosecutor seeks bail and travel restrictions
The offense falls under Section 506 of the Penal Code, read alongside Section 34 of the same code, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a fine, or both upon conviction. Deputy Public Prosecutor Zulfadzli Hassan asked the court to set bail at RM4,000 for each accused with a local surety, alongside mandatory surrender of travel documents.
Additional conditions proposed by the prosecution required the boys to report to a nearby police station every two weeks. The prosecution also asked the bench to prohibit the defendants and their families from contacting or harassing the victim. “The court should take into consideration that the alleged offence involves criminal intimidation against an elderly woman who is also their neighbour,” Zulfadzli told the court.
Teguran seorang wanita warga emas berusia 71 tahun terhadap sekumpulan kanak-kanak yang membuat bising ketika bermain berakhir dengan tiga kanak-kanak lelaki warga Myanmar dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Majistret Bukit Mertajam, hari ini. Dua tertuduh berusia 11 tahun dan seorang lagi… pic.twitter.com/TV9KDmccui
magistrate rejects bail for young defendants
National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Nur Najihah Ahmad Zulkarnain asked the court to grant bail based on the defendants’ young ages and household financial circumstances. She informed the magistrate that two of the boys attended school while the third 11-year-old did not.
Detailing the families’ financial standing, the defense counsel noted that two mothers worked as housewives while another worked in a factory. All three fathers worked as laborers earning approximately RM100 daily.
Magistrate Roshayati rejected the bail application, prompting the three boys and their parents to break down in tears in the courtroom. The judge scheduled the next court date for November 10 for document submissions and the appointment of a Myanmar interpreter to read the charges again.
Background of the Taman Sri Rambai Confrontation
Seberang Prai Tengah district police chief Assistant Commissioner Nik Aminuddin Raja Abdullah stated that investigators received a report from the 71-year-old victim regarding the October 22 incident outside her home. The confrontation began when the resident reprimanded a group of children playing noisily at a nearby playground.
The group ignored the warning and hurled stones and a metal rod toward her property. Although the objects did not strike the victim, the incident left her frightened enough to lodge a formal police report.
Following investigations, authorities arrested four foreign boys aged nine to 12 in separate operations around Taman Sri Rambai, securing a four-day remand order from October 27 to October 30. Police investigated the broader circumstances under Section 506 of the Penal Code, Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, and Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955.
Tiga Kanak-Kanak Myanmar Didakwa Ugut Warga Emas Guna Besi, Mop #mgflashTiga kanak-kanak lelaki warga Myanmar mengaku tidak bersalah di Mahkamah Majistret Bukit Mertajam hari ini atas pertuduhan melakukan ugutan jenayah terhadap seorang wanita warga emas berusia 71 tahun,… pic.twitter.com/DbEZHWkDIl
Neighborhood Dispute Questions Answered
What specific legal charge do the three boys face?
The three defendants face joint charges of criminal intimidation under Section 506 and Section 34 of the Penal Code for threatening a 71-year-old woman with a mop, iron rod, fluorescent light tube, and stones.
Why was bail denied by Magistrate Roshayati Radellah?
The court rejected the defense bail application following prosecution arguments highlighting the seriousness of the threats directed at an elderly neighbor, leaving the defendants remanded until the next hearing.
What is scheduled to happen on November 10 in court?
The Bukit Mertajam Magistrate’s Court set November 10 for the submission of case documents and the appointment of a Myanmar interpreter to reread the charges to the defendants.
How did police initiate the investigation into the incident?
Seberang Prai Tengah district police launched an inquiry after the 71-year-old resident filed a report stating she was targeted with stones and metal objects after scolding children for making noise near a playground.
Tiga kanak-kanak warga Myanmar didakwa di Mahkamah Majistret di Bukit Mertajam, hari ini atas pertuduhan melakukan ugutan jenayah terhadap seorang wanita berusia 71 tahun, minggu lalu. #harianmetro #mymetrohttps://t.co/gpnhAgdGWo
More on Bukit Mertajam
Tiga kanak-kanak warga Myanmar didakwa di Mahkamah Majistret di Bukit Mertajam, hari ini atas pertuduhan melakukan ugutan jenayah terhadap seorang wanita berusia 71 tahun, minggu lalu.https://t.co/221rAPhEjP
KES UGUT | Tiga kanak-kanak warga Myanmar didakwa di Mahkamah Majistret Bukit Mertajam atas pertuduhan melakukan ugutan jenayah terhadap seorang wanita berusia 71 tahun, minggu lalu.#BuletinTV3 #KanakKanakMyanmar #UgutanJenayah #WargaEmas pic.twitter.com/3m2Ke8vq8Z