Tearful Malaysian mother begs for no jail time over attempted affair

A Malaysian mother of two broke down in tears as she begged for leniency from the sharia High Court in Melaka for attempting to have sex with another woman’s husband last year.According to Sinar Harian, the accused, Siti Iqbar Mazlan, 35, during the proceedings before Judge Abu Bakar Daud on Thursday said that she regretted her actions and also apologised to the man’s wife, Puteri Norfatimah Ishak, 25.According to the charges, Siti Iqbar and Hairul Mokhsin Zaini, 24, were found to have attempted unlawful sexual intercourse with a partner who was not a legal husband or wife under Islamic law.The act was committed between June 1 and 30, 2025, at around 2am at a house with an address in Kampung Sungai Putat, Batu Berendam in the Melaka" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="144792" data-entity-type="location">Central Melaka district.Both accused were charged under Section 52 of the Sharia Offences (State of Melaka) Enactment 1991, which provides for a fine not exceeding 5,000 ringgit (US$1,229) or imprisonment for up to 36 months or both, if convicted.Both accused pleaded guilty after the charges were read out against them.Siti Iqbar, who is married, also requested in her appeal not to be given a prison sentence and a low fine because she has to support two children.She stated that she had been out of work for four months due to this case and was ashamed of what she had done.“I was also estranged from my family and ostracised by my siblings because I was ashamed of what happened,” she said.“I truly regret it and have not been in contact with the man (Hairul Mokhsin) for a long time.”Meanwhile, Hairul Mokhsin, in his appeal, also admitted that he regretted his actions and repented, adding that he had accepted the consequences of his mistake after he broke his leg in an accident.Further ReadingHe also promised not to repeat the same mistake and requested leniency.“I am asking not to be sentenced to prison because I have to support two young children who are about to enter kindergarten, as well as help my wife, who runs a nasi lemak business,” he said.“I only work as a food delivery person with an irregular income. I plead guilty, regret what I did and promise not to repeat it. I request the court’s consideration to impose a minimal fine,” he said.The chief sharia prosecutor of Melaka, Wan Mahyuddin Wan Muhammad, assisted by sharia prosecutor, Radzwan Abdullah, in his argument, requested that both accused be given appropriate punishment as a lesson and to prevent the same offence from recurring.He also requested the court to take into account Hairul Mokhsin’s past criminal record, who had previously been referred to the sharia court for the offence of abetting an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.The case was resolved on September 6, 2023, and Hairul Mokhsin was sentenced to a fine of 2,500 ringgit or 15 days in prison.The court then ruled that Hairul Mokhsin and Siti Iqbar would be fined 5,000 ringgit and 4,500 ringgit, respectively, or eight months in prison if they failed to pay the fine.Earlier, Puteri Norfatimah was fined 2,800 ringgit by the Ayer Keroh Magistrate’s Court on Monday after pleading guilty to distributing obscene photos and videos involving her husband with Siti Iqbar in December last year.For the offence, he was charged under Section 292 of the Penal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine, or both, if convicted.Puteri Norfatimah, in her appeal, admitted her mistake and told the court that she acted in such a way because she was emotional after recently suffering a miscarriage.This story was first published by The Star