An Ampang man pleaded guilty to attempted blackmail on his girlfriend by threatening to expose nude photos of her, and chose to go to jail rather than pay a fine for the offence.
The accused, 27-year old Lum Gah Wai, pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 509 of the Penal Code for intending to insult the modesty of the woman at the Magistrate’s Court in Sibu yesterday, which provides for a prison term of five years or a fine.
The Star Online reports that the Court fined Lum RM3,000, or a sentence of three months’ jail.
According to the facts of the case, Lum had asked his girlfriend, Anita Lai Hsiao Jing, 23, to meet him at a hotel at Jalan Lanang, Sibu, on April 23 last year.
When Lai refused to comply with his demands, Lum threatened to go to her workplace and expose nude photos of her.
Police investigations revealed that the two had become acquainted last year, and that Lai had sent nude photos of herself to the accused via handphone.
Lum was revealed to have extorted Lai for money before, by threatening to expose her nude photos on the Internet.
Lum, who was not represented by a lawyer, opted for the prison term, as he could not afford to pay the fine.
Magistrate Saiful Sayoti passed the sentence in consideration of Lum’s guilty plea. He said an appropriate sentence had to be passed as such crimes were common in society.
