KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, the Malaysian student jailed for possession of child pornography, has had his original sentence reduced from five years to nine months after “considerations” were made by UK courts, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) claimed today.
MARA corporate communications director Rohayah Mohd Zain said that the council had concluded that Nur Fitri would be eligible to be deported back to Malaysia once he served at least half or two-thirds of his sentence in the UK, after the 23-year-old was convicted in London on November 21, 2014.
“We have confirmed this... five years may have been the original verdict,” Rohayah told Malay Mail Online when contacted.
“MARA officers in the UK were informed by the courts there, perhaps there were other considerations,” she added, but did not elaborate further.
According to the London Metropolitan police, Nur Fitri was arrested, charged and convicted back on November 21, 2014.
He was sentenced last week to five years’ jail in the UK on April 30 for 13 offences of possessing and making indecent photographs and videos of children, as well as intent to distribute the materials.
On May 2, MARA announced that it had cancelled Nur Fitri’s loan after confirming that the government agency had suspended funds for the student in November last year when he was first arrested by the London Metropolitan Police.
MARA also said that according to British law, a foreigner who has served two thirds of his sentence is eligible to be deported to his home country, and claimed this would be within four weeks of Nur Fitri’s conviction date.
On a May 2 Facebook posting, MARA chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa claimed that Nur Fitri was handed an original 18-month jail sentence which was then reduced to nine months.
“The courts took into consideration the letter from his mathematics professor Sebastian, letters from the embassy, psychiatric reports and his good behaviour in jail.
The sentence was then reduced to nine months,” Annuar had said.
According to British media last week, Nur Fitri, who was studying on a MARA scholarship at Imperial College London, one of the world’s top universities, was found to be in possession of over 30,000 videos and photographs of child pornography that the Met have described as “some of the most extreme” materials they have ever found.
Police who raided his home in London found the 23-year-old sitting beside a life-sized mannequin of a young boy. He reportedly possessed 601 “Category A” videos and images, which depicted abuse involving penetrative sexual acts with children.
