Sri Ram to lead in clerk’s appeal in ‘basikal lajak’ case

Gopal Sri Ram has agreed to conduct the appeal for clerk Sam Ke Ting.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram will lead a team to represent a female clerk who was sentenced to six years’ jail and fined RM6,000 for reckless driving, resulting in the deaths of eight teenagers on modified bicycles, commonly known as “basikal lajak”, five years ago.

Lawyer Harvinderjit Singh, who will appear with Sri Ram, said the clerk, Sam Ke Ting, finalised the appointments today.

“She met Sri Ram at his office today and he has agreed to conduct the appeal for her,” said Harvinderjit, who was also present at the meeting.

He said lawyer Faizal Mokhtar, who represented Sam, 27, in the High Court and the Court of Appeal to obtain leave to appeal, will be part of the legal team.

Harvinderjit said he would inform Court of Appeal deputy registrar Khairi Haron during an online proceeding on their appointments and for the appeal records to be provided in preparation of the case.

“We need to file the petition of appeal (on where the High Court has erred) and if need be, to add questions of law to be argued during the appeal,” he told FMT.

On April 18, the court allowed Sam’s application to stay the execution of the jail sentence and fine imposed by the Johor Bahru High Court on April 13 and released her on bail of RM10,000 in one surety pending the hearing of her appeal.

High Court judge Abu Bakar Katar, who meted out the jail sentence and fine on Sam, also ordered her to be jailed for six months if she failed to pay the fine, and a three-year driving ban upon completion of her prison term.

The court handed down the decision after allowing the prosecution’s appeal to set aside a decision by a magistrates’ court in Johor Bahru on Oct 10 last year to acquit and discharge Sam.

Sam, who was 22 at the time of the incident, was charged with committing the offence at Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, Johor Bahru, at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017.

The eight teenagers killed in the incident were Azrie Danish Zulkefli, 14; Shahrul Izzwan Azzuraimie, 14; Firdauz Danish Mohd Azhar, 16; Fauzan Halmijan, 13; Azhar Amir, 16; Harith Iskandar Abdullah, 14; Shahrul Nizam Marudin, 14; and Haizad Kasrin, 16. - FMT