GEORGE TOWN: Penang Prison officials today told lawyers visiting a remand prisoner who claimed he had been tortured in detention that an internal inquiry was taking place over the incident.
Penang Bar Criminal Law Subcommittee chairman V Parthipan said inmate Lim Kung Wah told them that his fellow inmates had assaulted and tortured him.
He said Lim was currently placed under a one-week quarantine in a separate cell, as part of a procedure for inmates returning back to prison from court visits.
Yesterday, Lim made an open plea at the Magistrate’s Court to not let him go back to the Penang Prison as he was afraid he’d “die” there as there were people trying to strangle and assault him.
He had pleaded not guilty to an assault charge on Aug 12 and was offered RM2,500 bail. No bail was posted. Lim’s plea came when the court decided to set another date for mention as prosecutors said a medical report from Penang Hospital on the assault victim was not ready.
Parthipan said he and Malaysian Bar Human Rights Committee member Sukhindarpal Singh had since offered to represent him in court on Sept 28.
“We advised him to make a police report against those inmates who had assaulted him. The prisons officials have told us that an internal inquiry is ongoing, following Lim’s plea to the court yesterday,” he said.
A police source said Lim, who is a volunteer parking attendant at Wisma DAP, had allegedly beaten up a 52-year-old woman with a stick outside the building on Rangoon Road on Aug 8.
Lim was charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, an offence which carries a punishment of a maximum 10 years’ jail and whipping on conviction. - FMT
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