IT IS SURELY a case of all’s well that ends well for clerk Sam Ke Ting.
After all, she has been in and out of courts – and jail – since the dreadful basikal lajak tragedy of Feb 18, 2017 when at the age of 22, the car she was driving rammed into a group of teenagers at 3am in Johor, causing eight teenagers to perish, two others critically injured and six more were slightly injured.
Sam who is now 28 was today acquitted by the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya of a reckless driving charge after a three-person appellant court bench chaired by Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail unanimously allowed the clerk’s appeal to quash her guilty verdict as well as a six-year jail sentence and RM6,000 fine.
The other bench members are judges Datuk Hashim Hamzah and Datuk Azman Abdullah.
“A good and fair closure!” screamed Malaysiakini’s subscriber Spirit of Malaya in the independent news portal’s commentary section with BrownDove7179 applauding: “It is good that we still have respectable honest Judges who are COLOUR BLIND! HIDUP MALAYSIA!”
Man on the Silver Mountain summed up the trauma went through by Sam as follows: “It was an accident. Accident. It was not helped by the crazy behaviour of the road users, those kids. Tragic loss of lives and traumatic experience for the motorist.”
Mazilamani described Sam’s acquittal as “the best news most good-hearted Malaysians were waiting and praying for”.
“Our justice system has proven to be fair and justful. Sam has already paid her dues, now she can get along with her young life.”
But we save the best netizen ‘verdict’ for last (courtesy of BusinessFirst):
Sad for Sam despite her acquittal for the thought that she was involved in an accident that resulted in the loss of so many lives must have been traumatic. This coupled with this court case hanging over her for so many years in effect putting her life on hold and the time spent in prison while awaiting release on bail must have taken it toll.
May she be able to move on in life!
Sad for the lost lives. For all their recklessness, ultimately, they are a product of their environment. They paid the ultimate price.
Sad for the family who despite all the recrimination have paid a heavy price. No one doubts they love their kids. No need to point the finger at them. They are human, too. In their silent moments, I am sure they are constantly blaming themselves.
The only ones who I have no sympathy for are all those who unnecessarily prolonged this tragedy for their own purposes. Sorry to say but there were attempts to make this an Adib case.
Fortunately, sensible Malaysians rose up and stood against those who tried to make this a racial Chinese versus Malay issue. It is all the more gratifying that the entire panel of the Court of Appeal who acquitted her was Malay. It speaks volumes that justice transcends race. This is as it should be.
I hope many have seen enough of the need to wind back the racist policies to a more moderate Malaysia similar to what Sabah and Sarawak enjoy.”
In seeking forgiveness, Sam who walked out of the Court of Appeal a free person has not forgotten to apologise to the parents of the eight children who died in the 2017 accident. She acknowledged that her apology would not bring the teenagers back and may not give the parents any peace.
“I will carry this feeling (of guilt) to the grave,” she told reporters after the court proceedings. – April 11, 2023
Main pic credit: Malay Mail
