COPS AGAIN? WHY DID JUDGE IGNORE? I was beaten, says Petaling Street ‘stripper’

KOTA KINABALU - Persana Avril Sollunda, 32, the Sabahan dubbed “the Petaling Street stripper” by the media, is awaiting trial in jail, at Sungai Buloh. Her case will only be mentioned again on May 29. She has pleaded not guilty.

Persana, a part-time model and spa worker in Kuala Lumpur had no bailor on Tuesday resulting in the Court being unable to set bail. The trial will not start on May 29. If she’s found guilty when her case is eventually heard, she will face three months in jail, a fine, or both. She has one child.

According to Facebook, some Church groups have plans to bail her out.

The social media and YouTube where her case has gone viral has been critical of Magistrate Zura Syazween Hamizan for ignoring her complaint that she was beaten.

It was not immediately clear who beat her or where the alleged beating took place. Zura responded however by saying that it was not the issue (in Court) and proceeded to read the charge again.

Persana, of mixed Dusun-Thai (Chinese)- Indian (Punjabi) ancestry, was charged in the Magistrate’s Court under Section 294 (a) of the Penal Code for allegedly committing an obscene act in public.

She was arrested by police last Saturday under Section 509 of the Penal Code for public indecency. On Sunday, police confirmed that she had tested positive for methamphetamine.

The social media has also reported that Persana took off her blouse and later her bra last Thursday when she was accused of theft by someone and wanted to prove that she was not hiding anything on her person.

The story, as reported in the media, was that she did not settle a RM18 bill for her chicken rice meal at a stall along Petaling Street and wanted to avoid the bill by stripping.

She can be heard saying on video that she in fact paid for her meal, that she left the money on the table. Initial reports said that there was also a man with her, a Caucasian, who isn’t in the videos of her which went viral.

In the video, she is seen walking along the street, jacket in hand after having abandoned her blouse and bra which she earlier threw at a female hawker. She can be seen pausing, having her pictures taken by someone, and swinging around a couple of times in a pose before walking off.

Persana was reportedly a contestant in the 2005 Dewi Remaja competition and also tried her luck in Pengacara Jemputan Nona, a TV3 competition.

Among the pictures of her which have gone viral on social media is one with Huguan Siou Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Persana can be seen standing next to Pairin in the picture.

The Huguan Siou, who is also Deputy Chief Minister and President of the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), is in traditional costume. Pairin later told local media that he had seen the picture but could not recollect when it was taken.

“I don’t know her,” he assured the media. “Many people have their pictures taken with me. It’s normal. When they ask, you oblige. But I don’t remember her.” - FMT