Driver files appeal against High Court conviction, sentencing over 2017 ‘basikal lajak’ deaths in Johor

JOHOR BARU, April 14 — Sam Ke Ting, the driver who crashed into eight teenagers riding modified bicycles on a dark road and killing them in 2017, has filed an appeal against the High Court's conviction and six-year jail sentence and RM6,000 fine yesterday.

Her lawyer Muhammad Faizal Mokhtar confirmed today that the filing was made to the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya.

He said a certificate of urgency to expedite hearing of Sam's appeal has also been filed.

“Both the notice of motion for leave to appeal and to stay the execution of her sentence were filed today through the court’s e-filing system.

“The certificate of urgency was also filed today,” he told Malay Mail when contacted this afternoon.

It is understood that Sam is under police custody and will be transferred to the women’s wing of the Kluang Prison in Johor today following her sentencing.

In meting out Sam's sentence yesterday, the High Court also ordered the 27-year-old clerk to serve an extra six months in prison if she fails to pay the RM6,000 fine.

The High Court said she is barred from driving for three years.

Muhammad Faizal had asked the court for a stay of execution since as he planned to file an appeal but High Court judge Abu Bakar Katar rejected the request and instructed Sam to start her sentence today.

Sam’s case started at the Magistrate’s Court before it was appealed to the High Court.

It cannot move on to the Court of Appeal unless Sam obtains first leave to appeal, or in other words get permission from the Court of Appeal, to hear her case.

Sam had previously been acquitted of reckless driving by the Magistrate's Court here on October 10 last year.

She was first charged on February 18, 2017 when she was 22 years old.

Based on the charge sheet, Sam was accused of driving a car with the registration number JQB 9984 along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam in a reckless or dangerous manner, resulting in the death of eight cyclists at 3.20am.

The eight victims involved were Mohamad Azrie Danish Zulkefli, 14 (at the time of the incident);  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.