A FREELANCE event management consultant was charged in a magistrate’s court in Shah Alam today with stalking a female photographer, making him the first person to be charged under the new section 507A (1) of the penal code.

Mohamad Safiq Rosli, 37, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was read out to him before magistrate Sasha Diana Sabtu.

He is alleged to have stalked Acacia Mardiana Daud, 31, by harassing her through three posts on his Twitter (now X) account “@sopert99” last month.

He is accused of committing the offence between 1.40am on July 15 and 5.58pm on July 21 despite knowing that the act is likely to cause distress, fear or alarm to her.

Safiq faces imprisonment of up to three years or a fine, or both, if found guilty.

Deputy public prosecutor Zilfinaz Abbas did not offer bail taking into account that Safiq had previously violated bail conditions for a case involving the same victim in the United Kingdom.

Lawyer Fithril Hakim Ab Jalil, representing Safiq, did not object to it.

Zilfinaz said the accused was supposed to appear in a court in the UK to explain his breaching of bail on June 2, but he fled to Malaysia, resulting in his name being blacklisted in that country.

“I was also instructed to send the accused to the Forensic Psychiatry Unit at Ulu Kinta Hospital for observation.

“His family has also sent him to Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) for treatment, and the hospital has given a medical report on him today,” she said, adding that Safiq has been warded at the psychiatric ward at HKL since July 17.

Lawyer Jason Wee, who is holding a watching brief for  Acacia, applied for a protection order for his client to avoid further harassment by Safiq.

“This order ought to be given to my client to avoid further harassment due to safety concerns. The accused flew to the UK to continue such acts against the same victim,” he said.

“We humbly pray to restrain the accused from going anywhere near the victim and not to communicate by any means with the victim until the conclusion of this case.”

Sasha Diana allowed the prosecution’s request to refer the accused to Ulu Kinta Hospital and will set the bail amount on the accused after the hospital had completed its observation of him.

The court also allowed Wee’s application for a protection order and fixed September 7 for mention.

Through a recent post on Instagram, Acacia revealed that she had been living in fear for eight years because of sexual harassment by a man on social media.

Her plight caught the attention of Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who advised Acacia to submit evidence, including police reports and screenshots, to the government’s official email for further action. – Bernama, August 10, 2023.