GEORGE TOWN: A 32-year-old coffee shop assistant and a 37-year-old woman denied charges of deliberately setting fire to a local restaurant last week.
Khoo Teng Chi and Joanne Lim entered their not-guilty pleas at the Sessions Court before Judge Irwan Suainbon after the charge was read in Mandarin.
The duo allegedly used firecrackers to ignite Jing Zhang Restaurant & Bar, owned by a woman, resulting in RM34,800 in damages.
The incident occurred at 5.19 am on July 23 at No. 10, Jalan Pahang.
Prosecuted under Section 435 of the Penal Code, read with Section 34, they face up to 14 years’ imprisonment and a fine if convicted.
The court granted bail at RM8,000 each with one surety, requiring monthly police station check-ins and a prohibition against witness intimidation.
Deputy public prosecutor Lee Jun Keong led the prosecution, while lawyer Muhammad Zulzarif Mohd Zakwan represented the accused, who assist at Lim’s mother’s food shop. – Bernama
