Lorry driver charged with attempted murder of policeman

KUALA PILAH: A lorry driver was charged with attempted murder of a policeman and two other traffic offences at the magistrate’s court here yesterday.

The accused, Muhamad Hasrulnizam Hasim, 21, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges read separately before magistrate Saiful Sayoti.

According to the first charge, the accused attempted to cause the death of a policeman after fleeing from custody by ramming and attempting to hit the motorcycle ridden by the policeman until it skidded off the road.

He allegedly committed the offence between 12.30pm and 1.15pm at Km5 Jalan Serting Tengah-Keratong in Jempol on April 9.

The offence falls under Section 307 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum imprisonment of 20 years and may also entail a fine upon conviction.

For the traffic offence charge, Hasrulnizam was charged with reckless driving by intentionally swerving dangerously close to a police vehicle and posing a danger to the public on the same date and time.

He was charged under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, punishable under the same act.

The accused was also charged under Section 43(1) of the same Act for driving in a negligent manner, resulting in a collision with a motorcycle.

Hasrulnizam could be fined up to RM10,000 and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment if found guilty.

Deputy public prosecutor Farahidah Zool Beri prosecuted and the accused was unrepresented.

The court set RM18,000 bail for all charges and fixed May 6 for next case management and the appointment of a lawyer.