Employer, assistant claim trial to assaulting bodyguards for fasting

An employer and his assistant who were charged in connection with the assault of two bodyguards over fasting pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s Court in Klang today.

The employer, Chung Chee Yang, was slapped with five charges while his assistant, Choo Hin Voon, was slapped with two.

The two men, both aged 43, claimed trial before magistrate P Sarulatha.

Chung was charged with committing criminal intimidation against his bodyguard Mohd Azminzam Zulkepli, 44, by pointing a pistol at him and threatening to hurt him.

He was charged under Section 506 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine or both, upon conviction.

In the second and third charges, Chung was accused of abetting his assistant Choo by ordering the latter to intentionally cause hurt to Azminizam and another victim, Ahmad Shamsuri Zailani, 27, using a cane.

Both charges were framed under Section 109 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 324 of the same law which carries a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine or whipping, or any two of the punishments, upon conviction.

In the fourth charge, Chung was accused of uttering words against the two victims with the intention of hurting their religious feelings under Section 298 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to one year, a fine or both, upon conviction.

The fifth charge against Chung was for voluntarily causing hurt to Azminizam. He was charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to one year, a fine, or both.

He allegedly committed the offences at the compound of a house in Bukit Tinggi on April 13, between 10.30pm and 11.30pm.

His assistant, Choo, was charged with two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to both victims at the same place and time.

Both charges were framed under Section 324 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine or whipping, or any two of the punishments, upon conviction.

The court allowed RM50,000 bail for Chung and RM20,000 for Choo. They were ordered to surrender their passports to the court and report to a police station each month. The court also set June 23 for remention.

The two bodyguards were previously said to have been assaulted with a cane, with reports saying their employer had threatened to kill them with a pistol for fasting.