TAWAU, Sept 26 – A Chinese tourist was fined RM5,000 by the Tawau Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to a charge of criminal intimidation for sending a fake bomb threat message to an airline last week.
Liu Jinqi, 28, received the sentence from Magistrate Dayang Aidaku Amira Aminuddin after the prosecution, led by ASP Jeffrey Kadisun, read out the facts of the case, while the charge was read by a court interpreter.
According to the amended charge, Liu was found to have intimidated AirAsia through the official Ask Bo app by typing the message “human service emergency bomb dangerous” on September 20 at about 11.55am.
The message was later read by an airline staff member at his residence in PPR Taman Sri Balaung, Tawau.
The act, investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code, carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
During proceedings, the accused, represented by lawyer Chen Wen Jye, pleaded for leniency, arguing that she had no real intention of causing fear but only wanted the airline’s attention after failing to change her seat through the website, email and counters.
“I only wanted to change my seat. I had tried contacting AirAsia, but there was no response. That is why I used the word ‘bomb’ so that my message would get immediate attention,” she told the court.
The magistrate, however, stressed that such threats are serious and can cause panic before imposing a fine of RM5,000 or three months in jail in default.
Earlier, police had arrested a Chinese couple, aged 28 and 29, at a hotel in Semporna at about 8pm on the day of the incident. Investigations by the Tawau District Criminal Investigation Department together with Semporna police led to their arrest.
It was later revealed that one of them admitted to sending the fake bomb threat message to expedite a seat change on a flight from Tawau to Kuala Lumpur before transiting to Beijing. – Borneo Post
