Teoh Siew Li, 35, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to her through an interpreter before magistrate Nur Syifa Hamzah, Berita Harian reported.

She is accused of committing criminal assault by spitting at a policeman, Jelnazir Helman, with the intent of preventing him from performing his duties as a public servant.

Teoh was charged with using criminal force to deter a public servant from carrying out their duties under Section 353 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum imprisonment of two years, or a fine, or both, if convicted.

For the second charge, she was accused of intending to insult the officer’s dignity by showing him the middle finger.

She was charged under Section 509 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum imprisonment of five years, or a fine, or both, if convicted.

For the third charge, she was accused of intentionally hurting Jelnazir’s religious feelings with comments that touched on the Prophet Muhammad.

She was charged under Section 298 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum imprisonment of one year, or a fine, or both, if convicted.

The offences were alleged to have taken place in front of a shop on Jalan Perusahaan 2, Taman Bandar Baru Mergong, Alor Setar at 12pm on Dec 31.

The prosecution was handled by state public prosecutor Khairul Anuar Halim while Teoh was not represented.

The prosecution requested bail to be set at RM5,000 for each charge, citing the public interest in the case and the fact that the video of the incident had gone viral on social media.

Teoh’s appeal for a lower bail was granted after she informed the court that her monthly salary as a sales manager was RM6,000, and she was supporting her mother, siblings, and siblings-in-law following her father’s death.

The court then set bail at RM12,000 for all three charges and scheduled Jan 20 for case mention, document submission, and to appoint a lawyer.

Earlier reports stated that a local woman allegedly caused a disturbance, acted aggressively, swore at, and made obscene gestures toward a police officer in the Mergong area.

The Kota Setar district control centre, which received a call from a member of the public regarding the incident, dispatched two police officers to the scene to provide assistance.

The incident was recorded by a bystander and showed the accused also using her phone to record her interaction with the policeman.