ALOR SETAR, March 29 — A shop assistant who pleaded guilty to insulting the police on social media over the Covid-19 pandemic escaped a three-month jail after the High Court here today set aside the sentence.

Judge Datuk Ghazali Cha made the decision towards Nursahira Mohd Mizuar, 20, after allowing her appeal and reducing the RM10,000 penalty meted out by the Sessions Court prior to this to RM5,000 or jail for two months if she failed to pay the fine.

It is learnt that the family of the woman who is from Pendang paid the fine.

On March 31, the Sessions Court imposed a three-month jail and RM10,000 fine or two months’ jail against Nursahira after she pleaded guilty to making and initiating offensive communications via Facebook with the intention to victimise others at a house in Persiaran Kiara Mas, Pendang, at 10.12pm, March 27, last year.

She was charged with committing the offence under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 which could incur a fine of up to RM50,000 or a maximum one-year jail or both and could be subsequently fined RM1,000 for each day the offence continues to be committed after conviction.

Nursahira uploaded the status after she became angry at the action of a policeman who ordered her home when he was conducting a Covid-19 monitoring activity on the roadside of Jalan Pendang-Kobah at Batu Menunggul, Pendang at 9pm. — Bernama