PETALING JAYA: A 39-year-old trader arrested last week for possessing child pornography on his laptop has been slapped with a RM800 fine by the Klang magistrates’ court.
According to the accused’s lawyer, Royston Tan, magistrate Amirul Asyraf Abdul Rasid meted out the fine after he pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 292 of the Penal Code.
Section 292 deals with the sale, hire, distribution, public exhibition or possession of obscene material and provides for a maximum jail term of three years, a fine, or both if convicted.
“He was charged at the magistrates’ court today and pleaded guilty. He was ordered to pay an RM800 fine after mitigation,” Tan told FMT.
On Thursday, federal police secretary Noorsiah Saaduddin said the man was arrested for possessing “a large amount” of child pornography on his laptop.
She said the arrest was the result of close cooperation with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), adding that the man used social media to communicate with his victims and coerced them to provide him with pornographic materials.