KUALA LUMPUR: The Bar Council will seek a revision of the 20-year jail sentence imposed on the Indonesian maid convicted of attempted murder and physical abuse of her employer's four-month-old son.
Its chairman Lim Chee Wee said a Legal Aid Centre (LAC) lawyer was getting all the relevant documents to apply for a revision of the sentence in the High Court.
Yuliana, 24, was unrepresented in the trial at the Kuantan Sessions Court on Feb 19.
Lim added that a legal firm had filed a notice of appeal for Yuliana, who is serving her sentence at the Bentong prison.
Asked whether a lawyer would represent a 41-year-old Indonesian maid who was arrested on Saturday for the physical abuse of a 15-month-old girl in Kelantan, he said: “The council is sending a lawyer to Kota Baru to represent her.”
Lim said the council met the Indonesian ambassador recently and “offered to assist, by way of legal representation, Indonesians involved in the criminal justice system”.
“However, this is an ad hoc solution, as ultimately, the NLAF (National Legal Aid Foundation) should be extended to non-Malaysians.”
Asked if the council's dock brief system (where pupils plead mitigation or refer the accused to the LAC if they claim trial) was not meeting the need to provide foreigners with legal counsel, Lim said the Government had agreed to set up NLAF precisely because the Bar's programme had limited funding and capacity.
“Presently, there is no automatic right to legal representation for every non-citizen who is arrested, remanded or tried.”
On judges not ordering psychiatric evaluation in cases like Yuliana, who abused the child on her first day of work, or when young, single mothers are accused of causing the death of their newborn, Lim replied: “This is an issue the Bar will now pursue with the Judiciary and the Attorney-General's Chambers, namely the sensitisation and education of all stakeholders, lawyers, DPPs and judges.”
“I admit this is an issue the Bar could have done more,” he added.
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8th LAWASIA Employment Law Conference, Cambodia (24 and 25 May 2013) Organised by The Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (“LAWASIA”), this conference featuring Lia Alizia and Brian Williamson, will be held at Tara Angkor Hotel, Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Siem Reap, Cambodia, at 8:45 am to 7:00 pm and 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, on 24 and 25 May 2013 (Friday and Saturday), respectively. The conference carries 10 CPD points. Click on the link above for more details.
MSLSSL and MCLJ Conference on Employment and Labour Laws 2013 (30 May 2013) Organised by the Malaysian Society for Labour and Social Security Law and Malaysian Current Law Journal, this conference entitled “Current Issues on Employment and Labour Laws” will be held at 8:30 am to 6:00 pm, at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, on 30 May 2013 (Thursday). The conference carries six CPD points. Click on the link above for more details.
International Arbitration Conference by CIArb Malaysia (22 to 24 Aug 2013) Organised by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, this conference will be held at Eastern & Oriental Hotel, 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 George Town, Penang, from 22 to 24 Aug 2013 (Thursday to Saturday). The conference carries 10 CPD points. Early-bird rate ends on 30 Apr 2013. Click on the link above for more details.
“Transforming Criminal Justice” One-week Study Programme (25 to 29 Nov 2013) Organised by Public Administration International (“PAI”), this UK-based one-week study programme entitled “Transforming Criminal Justice: from Joined-up Justice to Multi-agency Approaches” will be held in London from 25 to 29 Nov 2013 (Monday to Friday). For further enquiries, please contact PAI by telephone at +44 (0)20 7580 3590, by fax at +44 (0)20 7580 4746, or by email at pai@public-admin.co.uk.
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Circular No 115/2013: Seminar on Enforcement of Judgment (4 June 2013)
