KUCHING: A man pleaded not guilty before the Sessions Court here on Thursday (April 28) on charges of beating a man with a cane during a fatal road accident.
Amran Salleh, 42, made the plea after a charge was read out by an interpreter before judge Maris Agan.
According to the charge, he intentionally caused injuries to Zaidi Sapawi, 57, by hitting him with a dangerous weapon. He committed the act in Jalan Astana at about 7.50am on April 20.
The accused was charged under Section 326 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and fine or whipping, if convicted.
Judge Maris allowed the accused to be released on bail of RM4,000 with one local surety. The court set May 30 as the date for the re-mention of the case.
According to earlier media reports, police arrested a man believed to have beaten an individual who was helping the victims of an accident in Jalan Astana.
The arrest followed a report from the victim’s next of kin after the man was admitted to hospital for further treatment.
Police also seized a cane believed to have been used by the suspect to hit the victim during the incident.
Prior to the incident, a fatal accident involving a lorry and a motorcycle had occurred.
The assault victim had gone to give first aid to the motorcyclist, but he was mistaken by the accused as the driver of the lorry and proceeded to hit the victim.
A 20-second video clip went viral, showing the victim suffering injuries as a result of being beaten at the scene.
The case was prosecuted by deputy public prosecutor Tan Chuan Yi while the accused was represented by lawyer Grace Ling.
