TAPAH: The man who was filmed hurling abusive words and hitting a female driver's head has been sentenced to seven days in jail by the magistrate's court here today.
Magistrate Siti Hanum Mohmad Sah passed the sentence on Mohammad Zaim Faiz Tarmizi, 29, after he pleaded guilty to charges of voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation.
For the first charge, Zaim threatened Amiera Atiqah Shahrizan, 25, by uttering "pecah muka kau sat lagi' (I will break your face).
The offence falls under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation, which carries a jail term of up to seven years or a fine, or both, on conviction.
For the second charge, he voluntarily caused hurt to the same person under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which provides imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to RM2,000 or both.
Both offences were committed at Lata Iskandar, Km22 Jalan Tapah-Cameron Highlands here at 5.33pm on June 5.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Geetha Jora Singh prosecuted, while Zaim was unrepresented.
During mitigation, the factory supervisor who earns RM4,000 monthly said he needs to take care of his child and a wife who is eight months pregnant.
"I plead for a light punishment. During the incident, the complainant tried to overtake (my car) but there was a car in front. If she did that, it could cause a fatal accident to my family and those at the back (of my car).
"That is why I was so mad. I have my pregnant wife and my child in my car," he said.
Geetha asked the court to impose a deterrent punishment as such an act by Zaim where he got out of his car, threatened and hit the victim's forehead were irrational.
"Should the court give a hefty punishment to the accused, it send a message to people who might plan to or commit the same offence.
"By giving a light punishment, such offence will be taken lightly by others," she said.
Before handing down the sentence, Siti Hanum said every action has its consequences for the person himself, their family and the people.
"The court is the last bastion of justice for all people. Punishment should be a lesson for all. Think before you act. Think about your family first," she said.
The court sentenced Zaim to seven days in jail, and for the sentence to begin today.
It was previously reported that police detained a man who was filmed hurling abusive words and hitting a female driver's head in a video that went viral on social media.
In the 59-second video posted by Facebook user Aizacd Zack, a man clad in a red t-shirt was seen getting out of his car, knocking on the driver's window and berating the female driver over her driving when she rolled down the window.
The female driver was seen trying to explain her situation to the angry man, but he continued hurling abusive words at her. He was then seen hitting the driver's head more than once.
Perak police chief Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri had said that following the incident, the female driver had lodged a report at the Saujana Utama Police Station in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, at 10am on Tuesday.