Police inspector, married female cop fined RM5,000 for khalwat
According to the charge sheet, the pair were found together under suspicious circumstances in a rented room at Taman Mas Merah, Batu Berendam, Melaka Tengah, at 11.57pm on May 14.
MELAKA - A police inspector and a married female police officer were fined a total of RM5,000 for khalwat (close proximity), with the Syariah High Court expressing disappointment that law enforcement officers tasked with upholding the law had themselves committed an offence.
Muhammad Shukri Hamzah, 40, and Intan Suriani Abdul Kadir, 33, pleaded guilty after the charges were read before Melaka Syariah High Court Judge Mawardi Che Man on Thursday.
According to the charge sheet, the pair were found together under suspicious circumstances in a rented room at Taman Mas Merah, Batu Berendam, Melaka Tengah, at 11.57pm on May 14.
Muhammad Shukri was charged under Section 53(1) of the Syariah Offences (State of Melaka) Enactment 1991, which carries a maximum fine of RM3,000, imprisonment of up to 24 months, or both.
Intan Suriani was charged under Section 53(2) of the same enactment, which carries a maximum fine of RM2,000, imprisonment of up to 24 months, or both.
The court fined Muhammad Shukri RM3,000, or six months' imprisonment in default, while Intan Suriani was fined RM2,000, or four months' imprisonment in default.
The prosecution, led by Melaka Syariah Prosecution Department Chief Syarie Prosecutor Wan Mahyuddin Wan Muhammad, had urged the court to impose sentences reflecting the pair's positions as law enforcement officers.
It argued that police officers were expected to demonstrate a high level of integrity and that their conduct risked undermining public trust in law enforcement.
The court was also told that the pair initially refused to open the door when Syariah enforcement officers, accompanied by a local mosque imam, arrived at the room.
The door was eventually opened after the landlord intervened, allowing officers to conduct an inspection.
In passing sentence, Mawardi expressed disappointment that police officers entrusted with upholding justice and maintaining public order had themselves committed a Syariah offence.
He stressed that being a police officer was no excuse for disregarding the law and said law enforcement personnel should instead serve as role models for the public.
Mawardi also reminded the pair to learn from the sentence and not repeat the offence.
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