Man, woman claim trial to trafficking four girls
Published on: Thursday, February 22, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: A man and a woman were charged with four counts of trafficking four girls for the purpose of exploitation.Hasrul Abd Hamid and Siti Nurain Abdul Malik @ Rachel pleaded not guilty to the charge before Sessions Court Judge Azreena Aziz, Wednesday.On the first to fourth counts, Hasrul and Siti Nurain are accused of trafficking the four, aged between 15 and 17, at 1.45am on Feb 7 this year at the Hideout Karaoke in Cyber Square, Jalan Lintas.
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They were jointly charged under Section 14/34 of Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, which carries a jail term of between three years and 20 years, and liable to fine, on conviction.Azreena set March 26 for case management and July 12-13 for trial.The court offered them bail at RM10,000 in two local sureties each and ordered them to report to the nearest police station once a month as well as their passports, if any, to be impounded by the court.Deputy Public Prosecutor Husna Abdul Halim appeared for the prosecution while the duo were not represented.
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Meanwhile, the court ordered a local to enter her defence on a charge of hiring a Filipina without any valid document.The court set March 16 for Lovintih @ Betty Balantai's defence after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against her.
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Lovintih is accused of employing the 19-year-old Filipina at the Sweet Sensation in Jesselton Point, here, on Feb 25, 2016.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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