{"id":51801,"date":"2015-06-14T22:21:23","date_gmt":"2015-06-14T14:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=51801"},"modified":"2015-06-14T22:21:23","modified_gmt":"2015-06-14T14:21:23","slug":"canadians-plead-guilty-in-malaysian-nudity-case-lawyer-says-they-are-remorseful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2015\/06\/14\/canadians-plead-guilty-in-malaysian-nudity-case-lawyer-says-they-are-remorseful\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadians plead guilty in Malaysian nudity case; lawyer says they are remorseful"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The Petersen siblings. Lindsey and Danielle (Facebook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Two Canadians and two other westerners who posed naked on Malaysia’s highest peak were sentenced to three days in jail and fined for obscene behaviour in a public place, their lawyer said Friday.<\/p>\n

“They were remorseful and regretted their act, and had offered a public apology during mitigation,” said lawyer Ronny Cham.<\/p>\n

The four were among 10 foreigners who stripped naked and took photos on Mount Kinabalu on May 30.<\/p>\n

A local official has said their behaviour was disrespectful to the mountain, which is believed to be sacred, and caused an earthquake on June 5 that killed 18 climbers.<\/p>\n

The two Canadians were Saskatchewan siblings Lindsey Petersen and Danielle Petersen. The other two westerners were Dutch citizen Dylan Snel and British student Eleanor Hawkins.<\/p>\n

The four pleaded guilty in a court in Sabah state on Borneo island to a charge of public indecency, said Cham.<\/p>\n

The court was told the women were topless while the two men were totally nude, he said.<\/p>\n

The court sentenced them to three days in jail and a fine of the equivalent of more than $1,600 Canadian each, to be followed by their deportation, Cham said.<\/p>\n

They have paid their fines and expected to be released later Friday because of the time they have already spent in jail since their arrests earlier this week, he said.<\/p>\n

Some reports said they were freed immediately.<\/p>\n

Hawkins was scheduled to fly home Saturday, but the lawyer couldn’t say when the others would leave.<\/p>\n

The Malay Mail online news portal said the court was told the group of 10 had challenged each other to see who could remain naked the longest in the cold.<\/p>\n

They ignored a plea by their mountain guide not to strip, it said.<\/p>\n

Cham said the four had suffered enough trauma and that extensive international news coverage would deter others.<\/p>\n

The Guardian newspaper reported Danielle Peterson arrived in court handcuffed to Hawkins while Lindsey Peterson arrived handcuffed to Snel.<\/p>\n

Prosecutor Jamil Aripin agreed that there was no link between the earthquake and their act but said it had outraged the local community, The Malay Mail online news portal said.<\/p>\n

The magnitude-5.9 earthquake sent rocks and boulders raining down on trekking routes on the 4,095-meter mountain. The victims were nine Singaporeans, six Malaysians, a Filipino, a Chinese and a Japanese.<\/p>\n

The quake damaged roads and buildings and also broke one of the famous twin rock formations on the mountain known as the “Donkey’s Ears.”<\/p>\n

Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan blamed the tragedy on the foreigners for having shown disrespect to the mountain, believed by local tribes to be a resting place for the dead. He said a special ritual will be conducted to appease the mountain spirits.<\/p>\n

The incident became an international talking point, including a Twitter exchange between the head of the tourism department for the state of Sabah and Emil Kaminski, a man who posted video and photos about the issue.<\/p>\n

Kaminski — whose comments were widely reported, including by The Canadian Press — said in a later video that he wasn’t part of the group and wasn’t in Malaysia at the time.<\/p>\n

With Files From The Canadian Press<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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