Couple who had sex in M’sia cemetery gets jail sentence reduced from 1 year to 28 days
A couple who were given a one-year jail term for having sex in a cemetery in Penang, Malaysia, have had their sentence reduced to 28 days.
M. Jegathesan, 58, and Halila Abu Bakar, 37, were released on April 21, having served just 28 days of their 12-month sentence, which was reduced to time already served.
The pair were caught in the act at Batu Gantung cemetery, a Chinese cemetery in George Town, at 8.30am on March 22.
Their lawyer, Naran Singh, told WeirdKaya that his legal strategy was to challenge the severity of the sentence rather than the conviction itself, adding that the time the pair had already served was the minimum appropriate sentence for the case.
Mr Naran, who represented the couple on a pro bono basis, submitted a summary to the court stating that the sentence was excessive, a view the High Court agreed with.
The judge upheld the conviction but ordered their jail term to run from their arrest on March 23 until April 21, effectively reducing their time in jail to 28 days.
“I’m satisfied with the outcome as it was the best possible result under the circumstances,” Mr Naran said.
The decision was a significant reversal from the previous ruling, which had drawn public attention over the length of the jail term.
The case sparked outrage after a 38-second video of the pair engaging in the lewd act went viral, and the prosecution had called for a deterrent sentence for the pair.
The man, who worked as a security guard, is married with two children while the woman is single and unemployed.
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