A 26-YEAR-OLD teacher in Johor Bahru has appeared in the Magistrate’s Court today accused of sexually assaulting a female passenger in an e-hailing vehicle earlier this month.
Alvin Choo Chee Hong pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out by a court interpreter before Magistrate A Shaarmini.
According to the charge sheet, the civil servant is alleged to have used criminal force against a foreign woman with the intention of outraging her modesty by touching three parts of her body.
The incident reportedly took place inside a Perodua Bezza travelling between Kedai Emas Ros Merah, Jalan Harimau Tarum, Taman Century, and R&F Princess Cove, Jalan Tanjung Puteri 1, Tanjung Puteri, between 5.30 pm and 6 pm on 1 February.
The prosecution is proceeding under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, a fine, or whipping, or any combination of two of these penalties if the accused is found guilty.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Syafiqah Sha’ari proposed bail of RM10,000, which was contested by defence lawyer Mark Jeyakumar, who represented Choo.
Mark explained that his client earned approximately RM3,000 per month, making the proposed bail unaffordable.
“The accused is the eldest of three siblings, two of whom are still in higher education. His mother is a housewife and his father works as an assistant engineer earning around RM4,000 a month.
“This is the first offence by the accused; he has never faced court previously. There is no risk of him repeating the act as he no longer works as an e-hailing driver. He also poses no risk of harassing the victim as he has no personal information about her,” the lawyer said.
The court granted bail of RM2,000 and set 13 March for the next case mention for document submission.
Earlier reports indicated that police were actively investigating after a video of the alleged sexual harassment of a female passenger went viral on social media.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke subsequently instructed the Road Transport Department to immediately revoke the e-hailing driver’s Public Service Vehicle licence, preventing him from working on any e-hailing platform.
Johor Police Chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad later confirmed that the suspect was arrested following a report lodged by the victim, who is a Vietnamese national, on 4 February. - February 13, 2026
