KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — A GrabCar driver was jailed 41 months by the Ampang Magistrate’s Court here today for causing hurt, molesting and threatening to kill his passenger last year.

Magistrate Haslinda A. Raof handed down the sentence on Muhamad Izuwan Kamaruddin, 39, after he changed his plea from not guilty to guilty today.

The father of one was sentenced to 12 months jail for causing hurt, 14 months for molesting and 15 months for threatening his passenger.

The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently beginning today.

On the first count, he was charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code with voluntarily causing hurt on the woman passenger, who is a 19-year-old college student.

The second charge, for using criminal force with intent to outrage the student’s modesty, was made under Section 354 of the Penal Code while the third charge, for criminal intimidation by threatening to cause death to the victim, was made under Section 506 of the same code.

Muhamad Izuwan had committed the offences at Hutan Simpan Kompartment 80, Hulu Langat, Ampang, near here at 11.45am on Sept 11, 2017.

According to the facts of the case, on the day of the incident, the victim got into a Myvi car driven by the accused in front of her college in Taman Maluri to go her hostel in Jalan Badak.

After a few minutes, the victim found that the accused had taken a different route and later he stopped the car at a forest reserve area.

He got up from the driver’s seat and suddenly assaulted the victim, who was at the back seat, by grabbing, punching her head and forehead as well as strangling and threatening to kill her if she did not follow his orders.

The accused ordered the victim to sit in the front passenger seat before molesting her. He then drove the victim to a hotel in Setapak but she managed to escape and seek help immediately after he stopped the car.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Raihanah Abdul Razak urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence.

Muhamad Izuwan, who was unrepresented, appealed for a lighter sentence, saying his wife just had a miscarriage and he had to support his family including his ailing mother. — Bernama