Three men charged with assault in Kepong after viral ‘side eye’ incident, denied bail by Sessions Court.
KUALA LUMPUR: Three men, whose assault on a man at a restaurant in Kepong went viral on social media after they claimed he gave them the ‘side eye’, were charged in the Sessions Court today with causing hurt to the victim.
Carpenter Wong Weng Luen, 49, technician Lai Kae Bin, 33, and memorial centre worker Wan Ken Fei, 30, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out before Judge Noridah Adam.
They were jointly charged with intentionally causing grievous hurt to Andrew Teh Tiek Hua, 49, at a restaurant on Jalan Kepong, Metro Prima, at 2 am on May 7.
The charge was filed under Section 326 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum prison term of 20 years, and may also include a fine or caning upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Nadia Eleena Jamaluddin Akbal did not offer bail, arguing that the offence was serious and not bailable.
“If bail is granted to these accused persons, there is a risk they may flee and interfere with the victim in this case, ” she submitted.
Defence lawyer S. Narasimhan, representing all three accused, applied for bail, arguing that his clients had fully cooperated with authorities and that the court had discretion to do so.
“Although this case has gone viral, it does not automatically mean the accused should be denied bail. In this matter, the accused surrendered themselves and should be allowed to be released on bail,” he said.
Also present was lawyer Chia Hui Ming, who acted as a watching brief for the victim.
Judge Noridah Adam denied bail and set June 15 for the next case mention, pending the submission of documents.
Earlier, a CCTV recording had gone viral on social media, showing three individuals attacking a man, causing him injuries, after allegedly claiming the victim had been staring at them sideways while they were eating at a restaurant in Kepong.
