KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — A carpenter will be the first person in Terengganu to receive six lashes in public after being convicted of repeated khalwat (close proximity) offences.

Senior Shariah High Court Judge Kamalruazmi Ismail sentenced 42-year-old Mohd Affendi Awang to six lashes after he pleaded guilty under Section 31(a) of the Shariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) (Terengganu) (Amendment) Enactment 2022, Berita Harian reported.

The sentence will be carried out at Masjid Al-Muktafi Billah Shah in Kuala Terengganu on December 6, after Friday prayers and the expiration of the appeal period.

"Punishment in shariah and religion aims to teach, educate, and deter so that such acts do not recur, especially for the offender and as a general warning to the public,” Kamalruazmi said in delivering his judgment.

He added, "A believer does not fall into the same hole twice. You (Mohd Affendi) have been whipped and jailed before, yet you committed the same offence. The first punishment should have been enough to bring about repentance.”

The court also fined him RM4,000, with a six-month jail term if he fails to pay the fine.

This is Mohd Affendi’s third khalwat offence.

On July 11, 2023, the Kemaman Shariah Lower Court fined him RM2,700 or three months in jail for a khalwat conviction.

He reoffended on January 25, leading to the Shariah High Court sentencing him to four lashes and a RM3,000 fine on February 19, or six months’ imprisonment if the fine was not paid.

The latest case involves a 52-year-old woman with whom he was caught in a house in Kemaman at 1.40am on June 16.

Under the Shariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) (Terengganu) (Amendment) Enactment 2022, second and subsequent khalwat offences are punishable by up to six lashes, a RM5,000 fine, or three years’ imprisonment, effective January 1 this year.

Deputy Chief Syarie Prosecutor Nik Mohd Shahril Irwan Mat Yusof prosecuted, while Mohd Affendi was unrepresented.