KUALA LUMPUR: The mother of a TikTokker who took her own life after being cyberbullied has voiced sadness over the 12-month jail term handed down to one of her bullies.
"Initially, I felt relieved and happy when a reporter told me he was sentenced to 12 years jail but later I found out that it was only for 12 months," said Puspha Rajagopal.
She was referring to the Sessions Court's decision to sentence B. Sathiskumar, 44, to 12 months in jail on charges linked to the death of A. Rajeswary or Esha as she was better known.
Sathiskumar, who pleaded guilty to two charges of posting lewd comments, was ordered to serve 12 months for each charge concurrently from the date of his arrest on July 10.
"Just 12 months jail, is that all he gets? How does 12 months make up for our family's lost?" Puspha told the New Straits Times.
She said she expected Sathiskumar to receive the maximum sentence of five years in jail.
Esha ended her life in July, shortly after being cyberbullied on TikTok. The 30-year-old also received sexual threats.
Her death grabbed headlines, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also expressing his concern over cyberbullying.
The government also said it would look into reviewing laws to curb the problem.
Aside from Sathiskumar, another charged in connection with the case was welfare home owner, Shalini Periasamy.
In July, the 35-year-old was fined a maximum RM100 for deliberately uttering vulgarities to stir anger and disturb the peace. The fine drew outrage from many social media users who found the amount insufficient.
Puspha, 56, said she is still finding it difficult to cope with Esha's loss three months after her passing.
"There is never a day that goes by without thinking of her," she said.