Canadian siblings freed after naked stunt
Pleading guilty to public indecency, they were fined $1,600 each and let go from jail
KUALA LUMPUR — Two Canadians and two other westerners who posed naked on Malaysia’s highest peak were sentenced to three days in jail and fined for obscene behaviour in a public place, their lawyer said Friday.
“They were remorseful and regretted their act, and had offered a public apology during mitigation,” said Ronny Cham.
The four were among 10 foreigners who stripped naked and took photos on Mount Kinabalu on May 30.
The two Canadians were Saskatchewan siblings Lindsey and Danielle Petersen. The other two westerners were Dutch citizen Dylan Snel and British student Eleanor Hawkins.
They pleaded guilty in a court in Sabah state, Borneo, to a charge of public indecency, said Cham. The court was told the women were topless while the two men were totally nude.
The judge sentenced them to three days in jail and a fine of the equivalent of more than $1,600 Canadian each, to be followed by their deportation.
They have paid their fines and expected to be released later Friday because of the time they have already spent in jail.
Court heard the group of 10 had challenged each other to see who could remain naked the longest in the cold, the Malay Mail website reported. They ignored a plea by their guide not to strip off.
Prosecutor Jamil Aripin agreed there was no link between the June 5 earthquake, in which 18 trekkers were killed, and their act, but said locals were outraged.
Joseph Pairin Kitingan, deputy chief minister of Sabah, blamed the tragedy on the foreigners for having shown disrespect to the mountain, believed by local tribes to be a resting place for the dead.
He said a special ritual would be conducted to appease the mountain spirits.
“It is a wake-up call to tourists not to ignore local traditions and culture,” said Masidi Manjun, the state’s tourism minister. “Since they pleaded guilty and showed remorse, it is only fair that they are let off with a fine by the court.”
Lindsey, 23, recently graduated from the University of Regina with an engineering degree and has been travelling since October. He met up with his sister, Danielle, 22, in Bali two months ago, according to Facebook.
The photographs caused widespread anger across Malaysia.
The main ethnic group in the region, the Dasun people, believe the mountain is the sacred resting place of their ancestors,
The Dasun man who made the initial complaint, Daikin Anam, 32, a park ranger, said locals were deeply offended by the photographs. “I think they’re a bunch of arrogant tourists who didn’t listen to the mountain guide, they’re too proud of themselves and selfish,” he said.