Are Good Grades A Justified Reason To Give Child Porn Offender Nur Fitri A Second Chance?
"I agree that people should be given second chances in life, but there should also be a mechanism to ensure that such offenders are kept track of and prevented from any opportunities to commit such crimes again."
Cover image via SAYS.com
PM Najib Disapproves Of Government Appeal For Nur Fitri's "Terrible Crime"
Image via AFP / Nicholas Kamm
The Prime Minister also noted that 23-year-old, who is currently jailed for possessing child pornography in the UK, should be counselled to prevent any repeat of his offences before he can be let loose into society
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said that Nur Fitri will be a "free man" if he comes back to Malaysia after serving his sentence in the UK.
Contrary to IGP Khalid's statement earlier, Noor Rashid said that Nur Fitri will not be monitored as there is no official sex offenders' registry in place.
Image via Kamal Ariffin / The Malaysian Insider
On a related note, Women, Family and Community Development minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said that the ministry is currently looking into the suggestion of setting up a sex offenders' registry and in the process of collecting public feedback
Image via Taufik / Free Malaysia Today
7 May: MARA councilman says "second chance" statement is a personal opinion and not representative of MARA
Image via Sinar Harian
On the other hand, MARA chairperson Tan Sri Annuar Musa stated that "humanitarian" assistance will still be provided to Nur Fitri as he is still considered a MARA scholar. He also advised the public to not be too harsh in condemning the convicted 23-year-old.
Image via mStar
G25 coordinator Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin warned that Nur Fitri may act on his perverted sexual fantasies in Malaysia if he is released back into society without being treated or rehabilitated
Image via Saw Siow Feng / The Malay Mail Online
Damansara Utama MP Yeo Bee Yin, who recently launched a digital campaign on rape awareness, had a similar view, saying that the government should focus on protecting Malaysian children by ensuring that Nur Fitri is properly treated for his perversions and put under strict surveillance upon his return
Image via The Star / Asia News Network
IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar assured the public that Nur Fitri will be kept on the police's radar when he eventually returns to Malaysia after serving his prison term in the UK. However, he clarified that there are no laws that provide for a sex offenders' registry here.
Image via The Star Online
Citing studies showing that sex offenders tend to go back to their old ways, lawyers are pushing for a sex offenders' registry to be set up in Malaysia.
Additionally, it was pointed out that the laws in this country does not adequately cover the possession and viewing of porn, despite the existence of laws that govern the production and distribution of obscene material
In the meantime, the #NoSecondChance hashtag is still a top trending topic on Twitter with Malaysians rallying behind it in protest of giving the convicted paedophile a "second chance" to complete his studies here
6 May: DAP's Zairil Khir Johari proposes sex offenders registry to monitor and restrict known sex offenders
Image via The Malaysian Insider
In light of MARA's decision to offer child porn offender Nur Fitri another chance to complete his studies in Malaysia, Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari released a statement earlier today stating that he believes "it is time the Government considers setting up a sex offender registry in order to allow law enforcement agencies to monitor and restrict known sex offenders."
"While I am not against efforts towards rehabilitation of an offender, I wonder whether any parent would be comfortable knowing that their children would be studying alongside someone convicted of such an extreme case of sexual offence. **I agree that people should be given second chances in life, but there should also be a mechanism to ensure that such offenders are kept track of and prevented from any opportunities to commit such crimes again.**
In many countries, such a mechanism takes the form of **a sex offender registry that allows law enforcement agencies to monitor and place restrictions on the movements and activities of offenders**, depending on their type of offence, sentence-length and risk of reoccurrence. Restrictions include limited access to certain locations such as schools or day-care centres, being involved in work with minors, or using the Internet.
In most countries that maintain a sex offender registry, information is only available to authorised police personnel and relevant departments that deal with child welfare and education. Although the registry is made publicly available in the United States, there are disputes as to its effectiveness of an open database, in addition to concerns about the potential violation of civil liberties," the statement said.
Image via MyNewsHub
Referencing past widely-publicised cases, Zairil also pointed out that sexual offences are on the rise in the country with most involving victims under 16 years of age. Furthermore, some offenders manage to walk free or are never caught.
"Sexual offences are increasingly becoming a scourge in Malaysia. Recently, Damansara Utama Assemblyman Yeo Bee Yin highlighted that a woman is raped every 35 minutes in Malaysia. Worst of all, most of the victims are under the age of 16.
I am sure many of us recall the 2007 case of 8-year-old Nurin Jazlin who went missing near her family home in Wangsa Maju. She would later be found sexually assaulted and strangled to death. Her rapist and murderer remains free.
Besides Nurin Jazlin, there have been numerous other cases of horrific sexual offences against children in recent times, such as the rape and murder of 10-year-old Nurul Huda Abdul Ghani and 5-year-old Nurul Nadirah Abdullah, also known as Dirang.
While many of us look to the law to protect our children, two separate cases in 2012 saw two men found guilty of statutory rape who were released on good behaviour bonds instead of being sent to jail.
As a parent, the above cases, as well as the recent conviction of the Malaysian scholar in the UK, makes me sick to my stomach. Therefore, **I believe that it is time the Government considers setting up a sex offender registry in order to allow law enforcement agencies to monitor and restrict known sex offenders,**" he concluded.
Image via sitinurfahdziha's blog
Meanwhile, Marina Mahathir gave MARA a piece of her mind in a series of tweets criticising the government agency's definition of Nur Fitri as an "exemplary student" and some people's misplaced priorities
5 May: Malaysian student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin was sentenced to five years of jail after he was convicted of possessing over 30,000 possession images and videos of child pornography in the UK
Image via Melvister
The 23-year-old, a Mathematics scholar at the world-renowned Imperial College in London, was arrested in November last year after police discovered an internet account that had been downloading thousands of sexual abuse images and videos.
Investigations eventually led them to Nur Fitri, who was found next to a life-sized mannequin of a young boy with his laptop open.
Image via Melvister
His collection was described as one of the "most extreme images that have ever been seen" by Metropolitan Police Officers.
More than 30,000 images and videos of children being abused were discovered after a search through his electronic devices, including a significant number from the highest category depicting the most extreme abuse.
Nur Fitri appeared at Southwark Crown Court on 30 April, where he was sentenced to five years of prison for a total of 13 offences, which he has previously pleaded guilty to, and will be considered for automatic deportation when he completes his jail term
Image via Melvister
The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development are considering an appeal to the Southwark Crown Court to reduce the jail term imposed on Nur Fitri
Image via The Malaysian Insider
Meanwhile, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), who was reported to have sent Nur Fitri to London last year under a study loan, has since terminated the loan with immediate effect after the charges were filed against him
Image via Melvister
Strangely, MARA has also disputed British media's reports that Nur Fitri is to be jailed for five years, claiming that it is actually a nine-month sentence. The government agency is also hopeful that he will be deported in the next three to four weeks.
Image via Melvister
That's not all. MARA will be offering a 'second chance' and a show of support for Nur Fitri by allowing him to continue his studies in any MARA institution in Malaysia once he returns home.
In justifying their decision, MARA council member Nazir Hussin Akhtar Hussin said, "He is a smart student and it is a pity to waste someone who can be an asset to the country."
Echoing the sentiment is Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS), who asked for Nur Fitri to be allowed to continue his studies in a local university after he is sent back to Malaysia
Image via Sinar Harian
