Woman fined RM500 after admitting using criminal force against Perak Sultan during state-level National Day event

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — A woman who admitted using criminal force against the Sultan of Perak during last year’s state-level National Day celebrations was fined RM500 by the Magistrates’ Court in Ipoh today.

According to Sinar Harian, Magistrate Norizan Riduan imposed the fine after Nurhaswani Afni Mohamad Zorki, 42, pleaded guilty to the charge. 

The court also ordered her to serve one month’s imprisonment if she fails to pay the fine.

Nurhaswani, a single mother of five, was charged with using criminal force against Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah at about 8.20am on August 31, 2025, in front of the Ipoh City Council building on Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab in the Kinta district.

She was charged under Section 352 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of three months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM1,000, or both upon conviction.

The case was first brought before the same court on September 8, 2025, but no plea was recorded after the court ordered Nurhaswani to undergo a month-long psychiatric assessment and observation at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Tanjung Rambutan under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Deputy public prosecutor Nasrul Hadi Abdul Ghani urged the court to impose a sentence reflecting the seriousness of the offence, noting that the incident took place on National Day and involved the state’s reigning monarch.

He said the punishment should serve as a reminder to the public not to commit similar acts.

In mitigation, defence counsel Datuk Naran Singh, who represented Nurhaswani on a pro bono basis, conveyed his client’s apology to the Sultan of Perak for her actions and appealed for a lenient sentence.

He said she had previously worked as a restaurant waitress earning about RM1,700 a month, but is now unemployed and supported by her children after her divorce.

“This is the accused’s first offence and she also suffers from schizophrenia, for which she has previously received treatment,” he said.

Naran Singh also urged the court to consider the 55 days she had already spent in custody, including periods of remand, investigation, detention and hospital observation.

The court subsequently imposed a RM500 fine and ordered that her bail be refunded.

Court documents stated that Nurhaswani, dressed in black, climbed onto the stage during the National Day celebration before suddenly running towards Sultan Nazrin and grabbing him, causing the Ruler to nearly lose his balance.

Security personnel immediately restrained her before a police report was lodged.

Nurhaswani was subsequently diagnosed with schizophrenia at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta. However, a psychiatric assessment concluded that she was fit to stand trial and capable of entering a plea.