AYER KEROH: An Indonesian woman was fined RM1,800 by the Magistrates' Court here today after offering sex service to an undercover detective at a budget hotel in central Melaka last month.
The accused, Seri Wahyuni, 30, pleaded guilty to the charge read out before Magistrate Nor Syaliati Mohd Sobri.
The court also ordered that the accused be sentenced to eight months in prison if she fails to pay the fine.
The accused, who hails from Cianjur, Jakarta, Indonesia, paid the fine.
According to the charge, the woman was accused of prostitution in a hotel room on Jalan PM 5, Plaza Mahkota, Melaka Tengah, at about 6.10pm on Nov 16 last year.
She was charged under Section 372B of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a fine, or both, if convicted.
During the proceedings, Wahyuni's lawyer, Umar Zulkarnain, said his client regretted her actions and promised not to repeat the offence.
"The accused came to Malaysia with the intention of finding work to support her family following her father's death.
"She is responsible for supporting her 52-year-old mother and two younger siblings, aged 14 and 9," he said.
Deputy public prosecutor Hanis Aliah Ahmad Kamarulnajuib, however, requested that a heavy and appropriate sentence be imposed on the accused.
According to the case details, the Melaka police's Anti-Vice, Gambling, and Secret Societies Division (D7) was conducting Operation Op Noda and monitoring the hotel at the time.
As part of the undercover operation, the detective found that the woman was offering sex services for RM350 per service.
Following that, the suspect was arrested, and during a search of the hotel room, police confiscated items such as condoms, lubricant, and wet wipes from her hotel room, believed to be used for prostitution activities.