A 29-year-old doctor was ordered by the Sessions Court in Ipoh today to enter his defence on a charge of desecrating the Sree Muneeswaran Amman Kovil Temple and carrying an offensive weapon in public.

Dr Fathi Munzir Nadzri was ordered to do so after sessions judge Ikmal Hisham Mohd Tajuddin ruled that a prima facie case can be brought against the doctor.

Following this, Ikmal fixed Oct 17 and 18 to hear the defence.

Lawyer and Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran, who was in court, holding a watching brief for the DAP, said Fathi has indicated that he would chose to remain silent in his defence.

“Three other witnesses for the defence will testify, including a psychiatrist, as indicated by Fathi's defence counsel,” Kulasegaran said in a press statement today.

The doctor, who quit his internship with the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh on April 22 this year, was on April 29 charged in the Sessions Court in Ipoh with desecrating the Hindu temple by smashing several idols with a parang and carrying an offensive weapon in public.

Fathi is alleged to have damaged the idols at the Sree Muneeswaran Amman Temple on Jalan Hospital about 5pm on April 24 this year. He has been charged under Section 295 of the Penal Code for defiling a house of worship.

Fathi was also charged under Section 6 of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958 for carrying offensive weapons in public places.