Sam Ke Ting is now a free person after she was acquitted of causing the deaths of eight ‘basikal lajak’ (modified bicycles) cyclists in 2017.
Malaysiakini reported that the decision was made by three-person Court of Appeal bench spearheaded by Hadhariah Syed Ismail.
Found not guilty of causing teens’ deaths
The Court of Appeal came to a unanimous agreement to allow Sam to overturn her guilty verdict and sentence of a RM6,000 fine and a jail sentence of six years.
The Court of Appeal’s decision finally brings a close to the case, which has captured the attention of Malaysian all the way back in 2017 until now.
‘I never wanted it to happen’
Speaking to reporters for the first time since her trial began, an emotional Sam addressed the families of the victims in a choked-up statement.
She read aloud the names of all eight victims and said that she was deeply sympathetic towards the parents’ pain for their loss.
While I sympathise with them over their loss and admit that my actions led to their deaths, I never had the intention to let this happen.
Summary of ‘basikal lajak’ case
On Feb 18, 2017, Sam was charged with causing the deaths of eight ‘basikal lajak’ teenagers in Johor when she crashed into them at around 3am.
After she was charged with reckless driving under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, where it carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a RM20,000 fine if convicted, Sam was set free on Oct 28, 2018 by the Johor Bahru Magistrate’s Court without calling for her defense.
On February 18th, 2021, Sam was ordered to submit her defense for the reckless driving charge after the prosecution successfully appealed against the decision.
Once again, she was acquitted of the charge, prompting the prosecution to file an appeal for the second time.
Unfortunately, Sam was found guilty by High Court judge Abu Bakar Katar, causing an uproar among Malaysians who found the ruling unjust.
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