KOTA KINABALU: A man with two children has been sentenced to five months in prison and fined RM4,000 for pleasuring himself while watching a mother breastfeed her child outside an Inanam clinic.
On Wednesday (Dec 6), Rasip Astali, a 34-year-old lorry driver, pleaded guilty to the offence that occurred at 10.40am on Aug 13.
Magistrate Lovely Natasha Charles ordered Rasip to serve the jail sentence and pay the fine, in default a further seven months’ imprisonment, for insulting the modesty of the 25-year-old woman.
According to the facts presented in court, the woman left the clinic and breastfed her child in her vehicle without initially noticing Rasip, who was masturbating in his car parked next to hers.
She later realized what was happening and managed to take a photo of Rasip before he drove away.
The woman then informed her husband about the incident and lodged a police report in the evening. Rasip was subsequently arrested.
On Oct 31, the woman identified him as the offender.
In seeking leniency, National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Carmen Khoo noted that Rasip was remorseful and the sole provider for his family, which includes a spouse and two children, aged two and four.
Inspector Kelvan Elson Maik, however, urged for a deterrent sentence, emphasizing the public interest and the trauma experienced by the victim due to the incident. He also emphasized the potential for the crime to escalate to a more serious offense.
