Woman Fined RM100 For Making Comments Linked To TikToker Esha's Death
Meanwhile, a male suspect, B Sathiskumar, also pleaded guilty.
By Sadho Ram — 16 Jul 2024, 01:58 PM — Updated about 1 month ago
A woman, who was arrested on 8 July for making online comments allegedly linked to the death of Malaysian social media influencer Rajeswary Appahu, a.k.a Esha, has been fined
The 35-year-old, identified as Shalini Periasamy, was fined a maximum of RM100 by Magistrate S Arunjothy today, 16 July, for deliberately uttering vulgarities with the intention to stir anger and disturb peace.
Shalini pleaded guilty to the offence committed via her TikTok account, @alphaquinnsha. The account is one of the three named in a police report lodged by the victim a day before she died by suicide on 5 July.
Shalini has since changed her TikTok account handle to @shaliniperiasamy.
In her police report, Rajeswary had claimed she was trolled and harassed during a live session on TikTok.
The 29-year-old said one person had used her photo and made several threats to "rape and kill" as well as "injure" her. Many viewers of the session also levelled abuse against her.
According to the New Straits Times, Shalini's actions are believed to be linked to the cyberbullying case.
The accused, who runs a mental health care service, was ordered to pay the fine, failing which she will be jailed for seven days, under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955.
Meanwhile, a male suspect, B Sathiskumar, also pleaded guilty
According to The Star, the 44-year-old lorry driver pleaded guilty to a charge of posting lewd comments on TikTok using the account '@dulal_brothers_360' with the intention to annoy others at 10.12pm on 30 June.
The account, @dulal_brothers_360, is also one of the three named in the police report by the victim.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998.
The accused also faced a second charge under Section 509 of the Penal Code for posting lewd comments with the intention to outrage the modesty of the victim's mother, P R Puspa, 56, at 10.15pm on the same day.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Sabri Othman told Sessions Court judge Siti Aminah Ghazali that Sathiskumar was involved in the cyberbullying of Rajeswary, which caused severe emotional stress to the victim.
"The victim was found dead after the lewd comments were posted by the accused," he said.
Judge Siti Aminah fixed bail at RM36,000 for both cases while ordering the accused to surrender his passport to the court until the disposal of his case and to report to the police station monthly.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the government may amend the Penal Code to introduce provisions addressing cyberbullying
In a statement today, Azalina said that while there are several provisions under existing legislation, they do not specifically and explicitly address the offence of cyberbullying, reported Bernama.
"Therefore, it is clear that there are loopholes in the law regarding this issue. As a result, the criminal elements under the existing provisions make investigation and prosecution difficult, which could be one of the reasons why the public takes cyberbullying lightly, leading to the perpetuation of this issue," she said.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.
If you or anyone you know is lonely, distressed, or having negative thoughts, please call these Malaysian hotlines:
1. BEFRIENDERS KL
24-hour
Contact: +603-76272929
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
2. TALIAN KASIH
24-hour
Contact: 15999
WhatsApp: +6019-2615999
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook
3. BUDDY BEAR CHILDLINE
Daily (12pm - 12am)
Contact: 1800-18-2327
Email: [email protected]
Facebook | Instagram
For a more thorough directory of resources, head over to the websites of Malaysian Mental Health Association or MINDAKAMI.