Accountant fined RM4,500 for modesty offence against colleague

MELAKA: An accountant was fined RM4,500 by the Ayer Keroh Magistrate’s Court yesterday, after he pleaded guilty to insulting a woman’s modesty last Tuesday.

Magistrate Sharda Shienha Mohd Suleiman also ordered the accused, Chong Soon Hoe, 25, to serve six months’ imprisonment in default of payment of the fine.

Chong was charged with intruding upon the privacy of his 28-year-old female colleague by secretly installing a closedcircuit television (CCTV) camera in the office toilet.

The offence was allegedly committed on May 7 at 4.30pm, in an office located within the Melaka Tengah district.

The charge under Section 509 of the Penal Code carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, or a fine, or both, upon conviction

Based on the evidence presented, the victim, who is employed as a tax agent, discovered the spy camera and checks revealed that the accused had installed the equipment, which recorded the victim’s presence in the toilet.

During the proceedings, lawyer representing the accused, Tan Chow Teng, requested the court to consider imposing a bond for good behavior on his client, citing it as the accused’s first offence and the accused had received an offer to pursue further studies abroad. —