By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, March 13: Alister Cogia, the youth who was recently sent to jail for 10 years and fined RM50,000 for Facebook posts insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad, was today ordered to undergo a mental evaluation.
High Court judge Azahari Kamal Ramli ordered the 22-year-old from Singai, Bau, to undergo a one-month mental evaluation at Sentosa Hospital here.
He then fixed April 16 for the hearing of the case.
Alister, who had a Facebook account with the name of ‘Ayea’, pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court on March 8 for uploading and commenting offensive remarks about Islam and Prophet Muhammad on the social media platform.
He was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison and fined RM50,000 for all 10 charges against him.
His mother, Alen Rigod, then approached PKR Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How for legal assistance, claiming that her son had been suffering from a mental illness since young.
She said Alister would lock himself up in his room and, at times, would shout when he was alone.
Alister was not represented when he pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court on March 8, but he is now represented by a legal team headed by See.
The review application was filed by Alister’s mother, Alen, and uncle Waddle Rumen. — DayakDaily
