AN accountant has been fined RM3,300 by the Ampang Magistrates’ Court in Kuala Lumpur after pleading guilty to secretly recording his male housemate while he was showering in their shared apartment last week.
Magistrate Amalina Basirah Md Top handed down the sentence to 30-year-old Muhammad Fahmi Akmal Zakaria, with a default penalty of five months’ imprisonment if the fine went unpaid. The accused settled the amount in court.
Muhammad Fahmi was charged with intending to insult the modesty of the 31-year-old victim by surreptitiously filming him in the shower at an apartment in Taman Ukay Perdana at 8.10am on 20 June.
The offence falls under Section 509 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum punishment of five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
According to the facts of the case, the victim noticed a flashing light on a bathroom shelf and discovered a hidden camera. Suspecting his housemate, he retrieved Muhammad Fahmi’s laptop and USB cable and found a memory card containing footage of himself showering.
Police arrested the accused the same day and seized several items, including the camera, mobile phone and laptop. Investigations confirmed that he had indeed recorded the victim.
During mitigation, defence counsel Mohd Azizi Darus, from the National Legal Aid Foundation, urged the court to impose a light sentence. He noted that the accused earned RM2,500 per month and supported his family financially.
He further submitted that the act was “meant as a joke” between housemates.
However, deputy public prosecutor Norhidayah Abdullah Sani called for a deterrent sentence, arguing that the offence was serious and that “public interest must take precedence.”
“This was not a joke. Had the video been distributed, it would have caused grave embarrassment to the victim,” she told the court.
Norhidayah appeared alongside DPP Ramanathan Alias Ashwin for the prosecution. - June 24, 2025
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