Duo charged with injuring journalist fined RM1,500 each
Two men charged with assaulting a Chinese newspaper journalist during an anti-Lynas protest in Penang earlier this year have settled the case out of court by paying RM1,500 each.
Two men charged with assaulting a Chinese newspaper journalist during an anti-Lynas protest in Penang earlier this year have settled the case out of court by paying RM1,500 each.
The hearing, which was supposed to commence today, began late as one of the lawyers for the defendants - Mohammad Norman Ismail and Mohamad Firdaus Ahmad - was appearing in another court.
Public prosecutors Suhaimi Ibrahim and Edward Chan handled the matter before magistrate Siti Salwa Ja'afar.
Norman and Firdaus pleaded for an out-of-court settlement and after an hour of negotiations, Siti Salwa announced that they agreed to pay RM1,500 each to former Kwong Wah Daily journalist Adam Chew ( right ).
Chew is now personal assistant to Tanjung Bungah assemblyperson Teh Yee Cheu.
Norman and Firdaus were charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code for assaulting Chew on Feb 26, during a fracas that broke out at a protest against the Gebeng Lynas plant that was organised by environmental group Himpunan Hijau.
The fine is payable under Section 260 (1) and (5) of the Criminal Procedure Code and amounts to an acquittal.
Chew, who left Kwong Wah in April, accepted the deal and received the money in court, saying he would donate the amount for the medical expenses of a child.
'We are innocent'
Asked if he was seeking an apology from Norman and Firdaus as well, Chew said he would not forgive them for calling him racist names such as Cina babi (Chinese pig) during the fracas.
"I am not agreeing to this because of the money but because by settling out of court they are admitting to their mistake".
The fracas broke out after Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng addressed the crowd.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing ended, Norman and Firdaus maintained that they were innocent and refused to apologise for the deed.
"We only had to pay a fine of a few hundreds. We are not wrong," said Norman.
Police received 31 reports from members of the public after the event and analysed 20 video recordings on the fracas at the scene.
A five-minute video clip by citizen journalist Leow Beng Hock was submitted yesterday as evidence for the court.
In the February incident, Chew sustained eight stitches on his fingers while photographer Lee Hong Chun, 25, was injured on the head after being hit with a helmet.
The assembly, which drew nearly 1,000 people, was organised to oppose the construction of the rare earths processing plant in Gebeng, Pahang.
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