Nigerian, Wife Freed Of Camera Robbery
A woman and her Nigerian husband who run a restaurant in Taman Connaught, Kualar Lumpur, Malaysia, have been acquitted and discharged of robbing and having in possession of a video camera belonging to a TV3 crew two years ago.
Sessions Judge Zainal Abidin Kamarudin said the defence had succeeded in raising reasonable doubt in the case of Elizabeth Sumana De Silva and her husband Adeyemi Rasaq Tunde.
Tunde had previously told the court he was being discriminated against because he was a foreigner.
“Whatever you have suffered in the past, I hope it will make you stronger,†the judge said yesterday.
The court found that evidence submitted by the defence was consistent and continuous.
Zainal Abidin proceeded to wish the couple “good business and Merry Christmasâ€.
De Silva and Tunde, both 44, were initially jointly charged – together with 20 people still at large – with two counts of robbing the cameras from cameramen Fauzi Muin, 33, and Nor Azman Jumaat, 36.
They allegedly committed the offence at a restaurant at 1.10am on Sept 15, 2008.
However, Zainal Abidin amended the first charge against De Silva from robbing to “being in possession of the cameraâ€.
Tunde was called to enter defence to a charge of robbing Fauzi last month.
De Silva was called to enter her defence on two charges of being in possession of a stolen camera and robbing a video camera from Nor Azman.
Speaking to reporters later, De Silva said she was relieved that the case was over after two years.
It was reported that TV3 journalist Puspavathy Ramaloo, 34, and her crew were filming a special report on Africans when they spotted some empty beer cans and decided to capture them on film.
A group of African men then approached the two cameramen and a commotion ensued.
The group tried to grab the camera but Fauzi ran off with it. The Africans, however, caught up with him and assaulted him.
Puspavathy, who was inside a car, said a woman joined in the attack and the group then seized their cameras worth about RM13,000.
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