KOTA KINABALU: A 19-year-old teenager received a one-month prison sentence and RM5,000 fine from the Sandakan magistrate’s court for distributing intimate images of his former partner without consent.
Muhammad Amrullah Mohd Asrul Affendi pleaded guilty to charges under Section 507E of the Penal Code, which criminalizes doxxing with intent to cause psychological harm to victims.
Magistrate Yong Ching Hong imposed the sentence on Wednesday, with the fine carrying an additional five-month imprisonment term in default of payment.
Court documents revealed that on August 31, 2025, the 21-year-old victim was at her Taman Mesra residence when she received WhatsApp messages from her former boyfriend between 4.37pm and 11.09pm.
The messages contained a semi-nude photograph and a four-second video showing intimate parts of her body, sent without her permission following their relationship’s end.
The victim’s father subsequently filed a police report after learning that his daughter’s private images had been shared without authorization.
Inspector Nooraznie Bolalan, the prosecuting officer, confirmed that authorities arrested the defendant on September 2, 2025. Police analysis of the accused’s mobile device confirmed his ownership of the phone number used to transmit the explicit content.
The court emphasised that the sentence serves as a public deterrent against misusing private intimate content shared within relationships.
