Five Prison Wardens Plead Not Guilty to Assaulting Inmates

Five prison wardens have pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting three inmates, leading to injuries at Taiping Prison in January 2023. The accused, Mohd. Hairie Jumri, 40; Saiful Azman Mohamad Ibrahim, 44; Ahmad Rizal Razali, 37; Muhamad Mustakhim Abdul Rahim, 40, and Nor Hafiz Izwan Muhammad Jajam, 31, entered their pleas in separate Magistrate's Courts.

In one court, Mohd. Hairie and Saiful Azman jointly faced charges for intentionally causing injury to P. Jason Immanuel, 25, using a baton. This incident allegedly occurred in Dewan B of Taiping Prison between 3 and 4 p.m. on January 17, 2023. They were charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code, read with Section 34, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine, or whipping.

In a separate proceeding, Ahmad Rizal was accused of intentionally injuring V. Naveen Kumar, 32, outside Dewan B of Taiping Prison between 3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. on the same date. This charge falls under Section 323 of the Penal Code, punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to RM2,000.

Prosecutors requested bail of RM10,000 for each accused, with additional conditions to stay away from the victims. Defense counsel argued for minimum bail, citing the wardens' monthly income of RM4,000 and family responsibilities. One of the accused, Ahmad Rizal, is reportedly receiving psychiatric treatment. The magistrates set bail at RM4,000 each for Mohd. Hairie and Saiful Azman, and RM3,000 for Ahmad Rizal, with conditions including reporting to the nearest police station monthly and not approaching the victims.