Sri Ram to lead clerk’s appeal in basikal lajak case, Court of Appeal told

Report: Sri Ram to lead clerk’s appeal in basikal lajak case, Court of Appeal told




THE Court of Appeal was informed today (May 11) that former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram will be the lead counsel in Sam Ke Ting’s appeal for reckless driving that killed eight teenagers on “basikal lajak” (modified bicycles) in 2017.

In the case management conducted via Zoom before Senior Deputy Registrar Mohd Khairi Haron, lawyer Harvinderjit Singh – who is the legal counsel of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak – informed the court that Sri Ram would be the lead counsel in the case and that he would be assisting the latter as a junior counsel.


Harvinderjit also told the registrar that the appeal would determine the issue of the prima facie case against Sam.


Meanwhile, Sam’s lawyer Faizal Mokhtar was also instructed to write to the Johor Bahru High Court to request for cause papers, submissions and the notes of proceedings of her previous appeal for the hearing in the Court of Appeal.


Deputy public prosecutor Ng Siew Wee was representing the respondent in the case.


Mohd Khairi then fixed June 28 for case management to inform the court of the appellant’s progress.

To recap, on April 18, the court allowed Sam’s application to stay the execution of the jail sentence and fine imposed by the High Court on April 13 and also released her on bail of RM10,000 with one surety pending the hearing of her appeal.

High Court Judge Datuk Abu Bakar Katar, who meted out the jail sentence and fine on Sam, also ordered the 27-year-old clerk to be jailed for six months if she fails to pay the fine and a three-year driving ban upon completion of her prison term.

The court handed down the decision after allowing the prosecution’s appeal to set aside the Magistrate’s Court’s decision on Oct 10 last year, which acquitted and discharged the woman.

Sam, who was 22-years-old at the time of the incident, was charged with committing the offence in Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, Johor Bahru at 3:20am on Feb 18, 2017.

The eight teenagers killed in the incident were Mohamad Azrie Danish Zulkefli, 14; Muhamad Shahrul Izzwan Azzuraimie, 14; Muhammad Firdauz Danish Mohd Azhar, 16; Fauzan Halmijan, 13; Mohamad Azhar Amir, 16; Muhammad Harith Iskandar Abdullah, 14; Muhammad Shahrul Nizam Marudin, 14; and Haizad Kasrin, 16. – May 11, 2022