The Shah Alam High Court has set 23 January next year to deliver the decision on the appeal of celebrity preacher Da’i Syed, involving his conviction and sentence for the rape of a woman in 2019.
According to Kosmo, during yesterday’s appeal proceedings, Syed’s lawyer, Mohamed Baharudeen Mohamed Ariff, raised the issue of consent — whether the sexual act was voluntary or influenced by the victim’s mental health condition.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Maizatul Munirah Abdul Rahman stressed that the question of consent no longer needs to be proven, as all elements of the charge had already been decided and established at the Sessions Court.
On 20 September, the High Court granted Syed temporary release after he served 21 days in prison, pending the suspension of his sentence until the appeal is heard and decided.
According to the charge, Syed allegedly raped a 23-year-old woman (at the time of the incident) inside a condominium unit at I-City, Section 7, Shah Alam, at around 1:35 a.m. on 11 September 2019.
He is charged under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping if convicted. -BOOM!
