MAN WITH CHILD BRIDE FINED RM1,800
Rubber trader admits marrying without syariah court approval
THE rubber trader who married a young girl was fined RM1,800 by the Lower Syariah Court here yesterday for doing so without approval and entering into a polygamous marriage also without approval.
He was fined RM900 for each offence after he pleaded guilty to both charges. He paid the fines.
He was charged under Section 19 and Section 24 of the Kelantan Islamic Family Enactment 2002, which carries a two-month jail term or maximum RM1,000 fine.
He looked worried when the charges were read to him before judge Mohd Surbaineey Hussain.
For the first offence, the accused was charged with marrying without approval under Section 19 of the enactment. For the second offence, he was charged under Section 124 of the same enactment for polygamy without approval.
Earlier, the accused pleaded for a lower fine and asked the court not to jail him.
The judge agreed to reduce the fine to RM900 for each offence.
The case was handled by deputy prosecutor Nor Azizi Abdul Rahman while the accused, who was accompanied by a male relative, was unrepresented.
The trader sparked controversy when he married an 11-year-old girl from Thailand on June 18.
The couple tied the knot at a mosque in Kampung Padang Nyor near Sungai Golok.