Sam Ke Ting Is Freed After Court Of Appeal Grants RM10,000 Bail & A Stay Of Execution

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This comes after defendant Sam Ke Ting was sentenced to six years in jail and a RM6,000 fine for reckless driving that resulted in the death of eight teenagers on the early morning of 18 February 2017.

The Johor Bahru High Court had last Wednesday, 13 April, sent Sam to prison following the sentencing, with no bail being granted.

The next day, 14 April, her lawyer Muhammad Faizal Mokhtar had to seek leave to appeal from the Court of Appeal, while also requesting a stay of execution, which is essentially a temporary suspension of the defendant's punishment pending a fresh appeal to a higher court.

The court was chaired by Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru, and other judges on the bench were Lee Heng Cheong and Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, reported The Star.

According to Malaysiakini, the appellate court maintained her existing RM10,000 bail in one surety from the Johor Bahru Magistrate's Court.

In other words, Sam, who spent a few nights in police custody and the women's wing of the Kluang Prison in Johor last week, is now freed pending her appeal.

A hearing date will later be set to hear the merits of her appeal.

Faizal said Sam had repeatedly expressed her sadness over what had happened and sympathised with the families of the eight teenagers killed after a car crashed into them in 2017, reported New Straits Times.

"She has repeatedly said she sympathised with the victims' families. She is saddened with the loss of lives," he said after his client was freed on bail this morning.

"Sam is a law-abiding citizen and she has always said she would respect the court's decision. She is prepared to face the consequences if she is found guilty."

"However, we hope people don't view this as a racial issue."

When asked how Sam had coped after spending a few nights behind bars, Faizal said the prison authorities had treated his client well and that she was thankful for it.