ROMPIN: A 50-year-old tour bus driver was charged in the magistrate's court here today with dangerous driving, which resulted in the death of four people on Jalan Kuantan-Segamat near Muadzam Shah in June this year.
Zamry Pon pleaded not guilty when the charge was read by the court interpreter before Magistrate Melody Woon Sze Mun.
The accused, from Bemban, Melaka, was charged with reckless driving that resulted in the death of Hasnatul Adilah Hassan, 49; Hadi Ashraf Mad Idris, 29; Hamzah Ahmad, 60, and Dahlia Ahmad, 52.
The father-of-four had allegedly committed the offence at KM126 of Jalan Kuantan-Segamat here at about 12.30am on June 9.
Armed with a walking stick, Zamry, clad in a grey T-shirt and blue jeans, indicated to the court interpreter that he understood the charges and pleaded innocent.
The charge was framed under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death due to reckless or dangerous driving, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Noor Asyikin Hashim requested the court to impose a bail of RM10,000.
In mitigation, lawyer Muhammad Denial Khairul Hizam, who represented Zamry, pleaded for a lower bail saying his client was no longer working as he was still required to undergo treatment as a result of the accident.
"My client has stitches on his back and suffered from back pain along with cuts.
"He has to support his wife and four children aged between eight and 16 years old who are still attending school...he also supports a sibling with Down Syndrome," he said, requesting the court to set a bail amount within RM5,000.
Melody Woon allowed RM5,000 bail with one surety and fixed Aug 16 for mention.
In the mishap, the bus, carrying 39 people, was travelling from SK Jeram in Masjid Tanah, Melaka to Terengganu when it collided with a trailer at the Bahau junction.
The deceased were teachers from SK Jeram; Hasnatul and Dahlia, the school's operations assistant, Hamzah and the tour bus's second driver, Hadi Asyraf.