Anti-stalking law in Malaysia: First charge looming as man harasses photographer

Under Malaysia’s recently enacted anti-stalking laws, a 37 year old man is poised to become the first person charged. The man purportedly stalked and sexually harassed a renowned female photographer over numerous years, sending her indecent images of himself and even tracking her down in the United Kingdom. Petaling Jaya’s police chief confirmed that the suspect will face charges under the newly established Section 507A of the Penal Code, which pertains to stalking.

The anti-stalking law case arises from an ordeal endured by successful photographer Acacia Diana who, it is alleged, suffered lengthy online sexual harassment commencing in the latter half of 2018. A month ago, Acacia took to Twitter to recount a history of harassment dating back almost eight years, to 2016. Her ordeal began with disturbing comments appearing on her plog, a platform where she shared stories and snapshots of various projects and global adventures.

A year later, while in a local restaurant with friends, Acacia was unnerved by a man who approached her, expressing admiration for her work. After thanking him and remaining with her friends, she travelled to the UK to further her studies in November 2017. Acacia received a worrying call from her parents, who reported that the same man had visited her home stating a desire to make friends.

By December last year, the man had followed Acacia to the United Kingdom, registered for the same course studies, and sent her explicit self-produced images over Instagram. This led to his arrest by UK authorities following Acacia’s report. However, he gained temporary release after posting bail during the pending investigation.

Acacia mentioned that UK police were about to charge him with sexual harassment and stalking when he fled back to Malaysia, avoiding scheduled court appearances. Despite returning to Malaysia, he continued to harass her by continuously sending lewd images of his private parts since last month reported KhaoSod.