'Hot Pot Datuk' And His Friend Plead Guilty To Assaulting Customers
The duo will be sentenced on 2 April.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 22 Jan 2021, 12:12 PM
Two company directors who were involved in the 'hot pot Datuk' incident have pleaded guilty to assaulting customers at a restaurant in Tropicana Avenue, Petaling Jaya earlier this month
At the Magistrates' Court in Petaling Jaya yesterday, 21 January, 42-year-old Datuk Tan Wai Khan and 39-year-old Ang Mow Loong admitted to assaulting customers and causing public nuisance at the restaurant on 12 January, reported New Straits Times.
The duo was jointly charged with two counts of assaulting 31-year-old Magdelene Wong Xhung Yi and 26-year-old Lee Dek Quan.
According to Bernama, they were charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which is read together with Section 34 of the same Act.
They could face up to one year's jail, a RM2,000 fine, or both upon conviction.
Magistrate Nurshahira Abdul Salim fixed 2 April for sentencing.
Additionally, the duo was also jointly charged for causing public nuisance at the same place and time
It is an offence under Section 290 of the Penal Code, which is read together with Section 34 of the same Act.
They could be slapped with a maximum fine of RM400.
However, Tan pleaded not guilty to a charge of committing mischief by breaking dishes at the restaurant.
He is charged under Section 427 of the Penal Code for causing mischief and leading the victim, named as Kwan Pei Choon, to suffer a loss of RM25 or more.
If convicted, Tan could be jailed up to five years, fined, or both. He claimed trial to the charge.
The court fixed 2 April for mention of this case.
The public prosecutor team asked the court to impose RM7,000 bail for each charge, but the defence team pleaded for a lower amount as both accused have complied with the authorities
"Bail is just to secure the attendance of my client during court hearing," said counsel Datuk Suraj Singh.
"Both of them are company directors, thus, have a low risk to abscond."
In the end, the court set RM10,000 and RM4,000 bail for all offences against Tan and Ang respectively.
Prior to the proceedings yesterday, Tan made a public apology in a video
In the two-minute long video, the Datuk expresses his regrets over his action as he and his friends were intoxicated during the incident.
He said he will accept any punishment meted out by the authorities, after pleading with members of the public to not harass his and Ang's family.
"This is because we are solely responsible for our action in the incident. It is not wise to drag individuals who were not involved in the incident into the controversy," said Tan in Bahasa Malaysia while reading from a paper.
"I also hope this matter will not be prolonged because we have surrendered ourselves to the authorities and we will accept any punishments."
"Once again, I am sorry for the incident and I hope everyone can accept my apology."
