TENOM – The ninth prosecution witness in Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew’s sexual harassment trial told the magistrates’ court here today that she rejected his video calls and only answered normal calls.
Deputy public prosecutor Nor Azizah Mohamad had asked the witness, who is also the case complainant, to explain the meaning of the phrase “call biasa boleh, video call tidak boleh” (normal calls are fine, but not video calls), which appeared in a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation between the witness and the preacher.
“I meant I wanted a normal call, not a video call…I don’t want (a video call),” she said, adding that she did not want Ebit Lew to see her without wearing her hijab.
The witness appeared upset at times as she explained over 200 texts from 436 screenshots of conversations taken from her mobile phone.
Ebit Lew, 38, is facing 11 charges, including outraging the modesty of the complainant by sending lewd words and photos to the woman on WhatsApp from March to June 2021.
The trial is being held in front of magistrate Nur Asyraf Zolhani, and if found guilty under Section 509 of the Penal Code, the accused can face a maximum of five years in jail, a fine, or both.
The trial continues today. – February 15, 2024