My girl knows she’s been stupid and disrespectful

Father of trekker held for stripping on sacred peak says she fears jail

A BRITISH backpacker facing jail in Malaysia for allegedly posing naked for photographs on a sacred mountain knows what she did was “stupid and disrespectful”, her father said today.

Eleanor Hawkins, 23, was among a group of 10 trekkers who stripped on Borneo’s Mount Kinabalu on May 30 — an act locals claim angered spirits and triggered an earthquake that killed 18 climbers nearly a week later.

Ms Hawkins was arrested at Tawau airport as she prepared to fly to the capital Kuala Lumpur and shortly afterwards was photographed in tears. Three fellow trekkers handed themselves in to police following her arrest. They were named as Canadian Lindsey Petersen, 23, his sister Danielle, 22, and Dutch national Dylan Snel, 23.

All were remanded in custody, and are being held by police until their next court appearance on Monday. They are facing obscenity charges which could carry a three month jail sentence.

Ms Hawkins’ father, Tim, told the Evening Standard today that his daugh- ter, known as Ellie, was terrified of her fate. Asked if he had a message for the Malaysian courts, Mr Hawkins, who runs an engineering business, said: “We’re appealing for a bit of clemency. She has never been in any sort of trouble before. It is not the kind of situation you envisage when your daughter goes travelling.

“She knows what she did was stupid and disrespectful and is very sorry for the offence she has caused the Malaysian people. We hope that the authorities deal with the misdemeanour and not link it to the unfortunate tragic events that occurred the following week.” Ms Hawkins is sharing a cell with Ms Petersen. Yesterday Ms Hawkins, a former head girl at a private school in Derbyshire, appeared handcuffed and wearing a purple prison uniform before magistrates in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah state.

Mr Hawkins said hi s daughter is “intelligent” and stoic”, adding: “I think she is preparing herself for the worst, just in case. We are not really s u re wha t she has ac tu ally been charged with, apart from a blanket penal code section number.”

The 4,095m Mount Kinabalu is the highest on the island of Borneo. Indigenous people believe it is a resting place for spirits. Police commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman told a press conference that officers were hunting six others in the group. They apparently posed naked for the photos, later posted to Facebook, despite their guide pleading with them not to. Some were alleged to have urinated on the mountain.

Ms Hawkins is studying for a masters degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Southampton. Lawyer Ronny Cham, who is representing the four, has asked for them to be segregated from other inmates because of the level of public anger. He said: “People are laying blame on them for offending the mountain.”