SECURITY OFFICER WITH ONE CITY AMONG 4 CHARGED
The four, including a security officer for the developer, are charged under Section 148 of the Penal Code
FOUR men, including a security officer for developer One City Development Sdn Bhd, were charged with possessing missiles or weapons during a riot at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, last week.
The four — security officer Irwan Nordin, 38, Muhammad Ridzuan Sekh Ruslan, 26, Mohd Khairi Abd Rashid, 24 and Rozaihan Jamaludin, 38 — claimed trial after the charges against them were read before magistrate Nor Ariffin Hisham.
According to the charge sheet, all four were alleged, along with others who are still at large, to have been at the riot and in possession of parang, axe, knife or pieces of wood, which could be used as offensive weapons.
They were alleged to have committed the offences at USJ 25 in Seafield, between 2am and 5am, on Nov 26.
They were charged under Section 148 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Irwan was represented by counsel Mohd Rafique Rashid Ali, while the other three were unrepresented.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Salim Soib @ Hamid, who led the prosecution team, offered bail at RM20,000 with one surety each, with the conditions that the four were to report to a police station once a month and to hand over their passports to the court.
The court agreed to the conditions, but lowered the bail to RM10,000 each with one surety.
Nor Ariffin also set Jan 17 for remention of the case.
It is understood that a fifth individual, who is still in the hospital, was supposed to have faced the same charge.
It had been reported that violence erupted in the wee hours of Nov 26 when a group of people entered the temple.
The fracas was said to have been over the relocation of the temple.
The riot led to dozens of vehicles being torched and several people injured.
Roughly 24 hours later, more vehicles were torched and a Fire and Rescue Department team, which responded to a distress call, was attacked.
One fireman was seriously injured in the incident.
In the same court later, mechanic Mohd Shamis Samsuri, 29, was jailed two months after pleading guilty to ignoring a police directive to disperse after taking part in a gathering outside the temple two days after the initial rioting.
According to the facts of the case, Shamis was part of a group of people who were causing a ruckus and threatening public order outside the temple at 1.15am on Nov 28.
An inspector, M. Ganesh, ordered the group to disperse three times, but Shamis refused and was arrested.
Nor Ariffin later sentenced technician R.M. Pavethren, 19, to a fine of RM5,000 for ignoring police orders at the site of the earlier riots at the temple, as well as failing to produce his identity card.