Lindsey Petersen, center, is escorted by police as he arrives at court in Kota Kinabalu, in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, Malaysia
Four Westerners who posed naked on Malaysia’s highest peak were sentenced Friday to three days in jail and fined for obscene behavior in a public place, their lawyer said.
The four were among 10 foreigners who stripped naked and took photos on Mount Kinabalu on May 30. A local official has said their behavior was disrespectful to the mountain, which is believed to be sacred, and caused an earthquake on June 5 that killed 18 climbers.
Dutch citizen Dylan Snel, British student Eleanor Hawkins and Canadian siblings Lindsey Petersen and Danielle Peterson pleaded guilty in a court in Sabah state on Borneo island to a charge of public indecency, said their lawyer, Ronny Cham.
“They were remorseful and regretted their act, and offered to make a public apology,” Cham said.
The court was told the women were topless while the two men were totally nude, he said.
The court sentenced them to three days in jail, which they have already served since their arrests, and a fine of 5,000 ringgit (USD1,330) each, to be followed by their deportation, Cham said.
They have paid their fines and were expected to be released, he said. Hawkins was scheduled to fly home Saturday, but the lawyer couldn’t say when the others would leave.
The Malay Mail online news portal said the court was told the group of 10 had challenged each other to see who could remain naked the longest in the cold.
They ignored a plea by their mountain guide not to strip, it said.
Cham said the four had suffered enough trauma from their arrests and that extensive international news coverage would deter others.
Prosecutor Jamil Aripin agreed that there was no link between the earthquake and their act but said it had outraged the local community, the news portal said. AP
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