On 12 April, a Form 1 student was killed while another was injured after they were reportedly hit by a Honda HR-V driven by a 57-year-old religious teacher (ustazah) at a school in Kelantan.
We previously reported that the two students were putting on their shoes outside the surau (prayer hall) at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tanjung Mas when the incident happened.
Malaysian religious teacher pleads not guilty to two charges
In a recent development, Sakinah Ismail, the 57-year-old religious teacher involved in the incident, pleaded not guilty at the Magistrates’ Court today (13 October) to two charges of causing the death of a Form 1 student and injuring another student due to negligence, as reported by Utusan Malaysia.
According to the first charge, Sakinah allegedly committed a negligent act that resulted in the death of Form 1 student Nur Fatimatul Hawa Mohd Azaudin.
The incident reportedly took place at around 1:40 PM at the surau of SMK Tanjung Mas, Taman Uda Murni, Jalan Pengkalan Chepa. The charge was brought under Section 304A of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of two years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
She entered her plea before Magistrate Wan Mohd I’zzat Wan Abdullah after both charges were read out by a court interpreter.
Nur fatimatul hawa mohd azaudin
The teacher is scheduled to retire on 16 November
For the second charge, Sakinah was accused of negligently hitting another Form 1 student, Zara Akhtar Zamzuri. The incident allegedly took place at the same location, date and time as the first offence.
She was charged under Section 336 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of three months, a fine of up to RM500, or both upon conviction.
During the court proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Nadzhir Abdullah proposed bail of RM3,000 for both charges, with one surety.
However, Sakinah’s lawyer, Muhammad Hasif Hassan, requested a lower bail amount, highlighting that his client had never been involved in any offences and had received the Excellent Service Award (APC) twice.
He also told the court that Sakinah, who resides in Kota Bharu, had been cooperative and disciplined throughout her career, and that she had also received the Best Teacher Personality Award at the school last year and is scheduled to retire on 16 November.
The court subsequently granted bail of RM2,000 for both charges, with one surety.
The court has set December 6 for the next case mention and the submission of relevant documents.
