Charged: Technician who claimed assault by 20 cops

A 30-year-old technician who claimed he was assaulted by 20 policemen in a back alley after the recent Thaipusam festival in Penang, has been charged with assaulting a police officer.

The charge against S Morle, read out in a magistrate's court in Penang yesterday, says he committed the offence at the junction of Penang Road and Chulia Street about 2am on Feb 9.

Morle, who hails from Perak but works in Penang, claimed trial to the charge under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant from discharging his duties.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of a year in prison, a fine of up to RM1,000 or both.

Deputy public prosecutor Nur Azizah Jaafar asked for bail to be set at RM5,000 but this was opposed by Morle's lawyer, S. Raveentharan (right), who requested that it be set at RM2,000.

Magistrate Noraini Yusoff agreed and bail at RM2,000 on one surety and fixed May 8 for mention.

Other than Raveentharan, Morle was also represented by Jason Ong and RSN Rayer.

‘Beer drinking is not a crime'

On the night of Feb 9, Morle had claimed, he got into a scuffle with a man who approached him and seized the can of beer he was drinking.

Morle (right)tried to stop the man from seizing his drink, without knowing that the man was from the police force.

He claimed that a group of 20 or so policeman then descended upon him and dragged him to a back lane off Penang Road and beat him up, and that he was also "kicked and punched".

He said the police personnel he got into a scuffle with was later identified as ASP Bathumalai from the state police narcotics department.

Outside the court, Raveentharan said he had also requested the judge not to impose any bail as Morle had "voluntarily" turned up for the case.

"The bail of RM2,000 is an affront to common sense. This man has alleged that he was assaulted by 20-odd policemen, and had lodged a police report on it. Now he is charged instead and has to post bail as well," said Raveentharan, who is also Batu Uban assemblyman.


However, he expressed gratitude that the case would be heard in court and the policeman who claimed he was hit with a beer bottle hurled by Morle had to testify under oath that the incident actually took place.

"Drinking beer is not a crime and selling beer is not a crime either, especially along that road, which is a tourism belt," Raveentharan said.

"If cases like this continue to happen, then I am afraid all the shops there have to close down," he said, adding that he had sent a letter to the Prime Minister's Department about Morle being assaulted by the police officers.