Three told to enter defence over assault of boxer

JOHOR BARU: Three men, including a member of the Johor royal family, were told to enter their defence by the Sessions Court here over the assault of national boxer Muhamad Farkhan Mohd Haron.

Judge Zamri Bakar ordered Tunku Nick Tazuddin Izwan Syah Tunku Qadir, 27, Mohd Arif Husin, 35, and Alex Foo Hee Wee, 41, to enter their defence after the prosecution established a prima facie case against them.

He also set Feb 8 for the mention of the case for defence proceedings.

The three men were accused of causing hurt to the 25-year-old boxer with a blunt object.

They allegedly committed the offence along Jalan Molek 3/2 in Taman Molek here between 4.30am and 7am on May 6 last year.

They face a jail term of not more than 20 years and whipping if convicted.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dzul Iswari Mohd Jaafar prosecuted while lawyers Norman Fernandez, Mohd Abdul Kadir, Zamri Idros and Mazri Muhamad represented the three accused.

It was reported that Muhamad Farkhan, who won a gold at the 2009 SEA Games in Laos, suffered a broken cheekbone and other injuries after being beaten up by a group of men.

Muhamad Farkhan, who took up boxing at the age of 13, was nominated for the prestigious National Sports Council award in 2011.