Hisyam Teh to lead defence team in Paul Yong’s rape case appeal

PUTRAJAYA: Senior lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik (pic) will be lead counsel for former Tronoh assemblyman Paul Yong Choo Kiong’s appeal against his conviction, 13-year jail term and whipping sentence for raping his maid in 2019.

Sources confirmed Friday (Dec 1) that Hisyam will be leading the defence team with lawyers Datuk Rajpal Singh and Salim Bashir in the appeal.

The Court of Appeal has set Jan 30 for the hearing of Yong’s appeal.

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Yong’s case is also fixed on Tuesday (Dec 5) before the Court of Appeal for the hearing of his application to include additional grounds to his petition.

On July 27 last year, the Ipoh High Court found Yong guilty of raping his 23-year-old Indonesian maid in a room of his house in the city between 8.15pm and 9.15pm on July 7, 2019.

Yong, 53, was given a stay of execution pending his appeal.

ALSO READ: Paul Yong rape case: You should be protecting victim, says judge to Tronoh rep

The High Court also allowed Yong to be released on bail of RM30,000 with one surety and ordered him to surrender his passport to the court.

Yong, in his evidence, had denied raping the victim.

In his decision, High Court judge Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed said the court agreed with the prosecution that Yong’s defence – that the rape incident did not occur – was not credible, merely a denial and an afterthought. – Bernama