SEPANG: A 12-year-old boy who drove a car with two other children in a residential area here pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (Aug 7), Malay language daily Sinar Harian reports.
The child, wearing a sports jersey, made the plea after the charge was read in front of Magistrate Muhammad Bukhori Md Ruslan.
During the closed-door proceedings, he was accompanied by his mother and was charged with driving a car on the road while his age at the time of the incident was 12 years and three months.
The offence was alleged to have been committed at the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division office, Sepang district police headquarters, at 6.30pm, on July 29.
The charge was made under Section 39(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 and is punishable under Section 39(5) of the same Act, which carries a fine of up to RM2,000 or a maximum imprisonment of six months, or both, upon conviction.
In the same proceedings, his father, who is also a Pakistani national, was charged as the owner of the car for allowing his son to drive the vehicle on the road at the same location, time, and date.
The charge was made under Section 39(5) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a fine of up to RM2,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, or both, upon conviction.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Sabrina Zubairi, while both accused were represented by lawyer Nabilla Rosli from the law firm Nadia Nabilla Rosli & Syaakirah.
The court allowed the boy to be released on bail of RM500, while his father, who works as a carpet seller and holds permanent resident status, was granted bail of RM2,000 with one local surety.
The court set Sept 4 for the next mention of the case.
