Businessman accused of assaulting bodyguards slapped with fresh charges

A businessman who was yesterday charged with assaulting and threatening his two bodyguards with a pistol was again charged in the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court today, with four counts of beating up the same victims.

Chung Chee Yang, 44, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out to him by an interpreter before magistrate Mohamad Fared Abdul Latif.

Chung was charged with four counts of voluntarily causing hurt to Mohd Azminizam Zulkepli, 44, and Ahmad Shamsuri Zailani, 27, at the lobby area and lift of a condominium in Kuala Lumpur between 8.40pm and 8.43pm on April 13.

The charges framed under Section 323 of the Penal Code provide for a maximum jail term of one year, a fine of up to RM2,000 or both.

Deputy prosecutor Nur Ashikin Mokhtar urged the court to set bail at RM20,000 for each charge with one surety, on grounds that the offence was serious as it touched on sensitive aspects of others’ religious beliefs.

“As his employees, they should be protected and humanely treated, and both victims have served the accused between three and seven years,” she added.

But Chung’s lawyer, Abdul Hakim Aiman, appealed for a lower bail taking into consideration his client’s health condition and the need to support his dependents.

“My client has his parents, his wife and four children to support and he is suffering from cancer and insomnia. He has also contributed a lot to the community in Klang,” he said.

The court allowed Chung bail of RM10,000 for all of the charges with one surety, and fixed June 2 for mention.

Yesterday Chung and his personal assistant, Choo Hin Voon, 43, claimed trial to seven charges, including of assaulting and threatening the two bodyguards with a pistol over their fast.