A woman, who is the ninth prosecution witness in Ebit Lew’s sexual harassment trial, testified in the Magistrate’s Court that the preacher initially sent a photo of male genitals to her on WhatsApp on March 14, 2021, at 4:30 pm.
She mentioned that Ebit Lew deleted the photo so she was unable to take a screenshot as evidence during her direct examination by the deputy public prosecutor Nor Azizah Mohamad on Tuesday (Feb 13).
The woman, who is in her 40s, also told the court that she had previously contacted Ebit Lew through Instagram to seek advice about family issues on March 4, 2021. She then provided her number to Ebit Lew, following which she continued to receive calls from him through WhatsApp between March and June 2021.
She also recalled an incident on March 29, 2021, when Ebit Lew made a video call and showed her his genitals. She took a screenshot as evidence to show her husband, who initially did not believe her claims of indecent behavior by the preacher.
Between April and May 2021, during the month of Ramadan, the accused forced her to answer his video calls, during which he showed her his genitals. This behavior led her to block his number on WhatsApp.
She mentioned that Ebit Lew then contacted her through Instagram after she had blocked him, and asked her to engage in a ‘swinging’ session, prompting her to unblock him on WhatsApp. However, his indecent behavior continued.
On July 11, 2021, she blocked the accused’s phone number once again after he continued to force her to answer his video calls and send text messages on WhatsApp, as well as demanding photos and scolding her for not fulfilling his requests.
Upon contacting Ebit Lew again on July 29, 2021, after news linking him to a sexual harassment case surfaced, he admitted there was a report lodged against him. This prompted the woman to also lodge a police report.
Ebit Lew, 38, is facing 11 charges, including outraging the modesty of the complainant by sending lewd words and photos to the woman on WhatsApp from March to June 2021. The trial is being held in front of Magistrate Nur Asyraf Zolhani, and if found guilty under Section 509 of the Penal Code, the accused could face a maximum of five years in jail, a fine, or both. – Bernama
