A former headmaster has claimed trial to uploading a Facebook post threatening the consultant forensic pathologist who testified in the inquest into Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death.
Kamul Kamarudin, 61, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read before Kota Kinabalu sessions court judge Marlina Ibrahim, Berita Harian reported.
He was accused of using a Facebook profile in the name of “Amung Kamaruddin” to publish the post against Dr Jessie Hiu, a forensic pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
In his posting, Kamul suggested “hiring a driver to carry out a hit-and-run” on the doctor.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for the improper use of network facilities, which is punishable by a maximum RM500,000 fine, up to two years in jail, or both upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutors Lovely Natasha Charles and Eugenie Meredith Gilbert prosecuted while Kamul was represented by lawyer Elhanan James.
Lovely suggested bail of RM20,000 with two sureties but James asked for a lower amount, saying his client is a local Sabahan and did not present a flight risk.
He also said Kamul is a retired headmaster of a primary school in Semporna and had cooperated well with the cops since his arrest on Sept 8.
Marlina fixed bail at RM20,000 with two sureties and set Sept 29 for case management.
Hiu testified last week that it was unlikely that Zara’s death was caused by an accidental fall or by being pushed from a standing position at the scene.
She said it was possible that Zara had climbed the concrete wall on the third floor of her hostel. However, she left it to the court to determine if Zara had voluntarily jumped.
Hiu, who has been a forensic pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital since 1998, was asked to provide her professional opinion on the injuries suffered by the teenager before her death.
