Former model who stripped in Petaling Street released on good behaviour bond

A former model charged with public indecency for appearing topless in an incident last year was today released by the Magistrate's Court here on a two-year good behaviour bond with a surety of RM4,000.

Magistrate Nur'Aminahtul Mardiah Md Nor made the decision after Persana Avril Sollunda, 34, changed her not guilty plea to guilty. The case was set for hearing today.

She also ordered the woman to report herself at the police station every month for urine test against drug and alcohol.

"If you breach these conditions, you can be sentenced according to the original charge," added the magistrate.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nabilah Ahmad Po'ad, who prosecuted, requested for the charge against Sollunda to be read again.

"I understand. I plead guilty. I wasn't myself at that time," she said after the charge was read to her in English.

However, when the facts of the case was read in court, she admitted to committing the obscene act, but did not touch or buy anything during the incident.

READ: Topless in Petaling Street: Accused out on bail

During mitigation, lawyer Kelvin Tan, representing Sollunda, said his client was not in a conscious mind at the time of the incident.

"She is divorced and has a child, and has been going in and out of hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

"Based on the latest report issued by Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Perak, she is suffering from schizophrenia and her guilty plea has saved the court's time," he added.

Nabilah, when asking for a sentence that commensurate the offence, asked the court to take into account factors of public interest, namely that a video of Sollunda with her shirt and bra removed was recorded and went viral on the social media and that the incident had affected the society and disrupted public order.

Sollunda was charged with committing the obscene act at a public area in Petaling Street here at 2.07 pm on April 23 last year.

The charge, under Section 294(a) of the Penal Code, carries an imprisonment for up to three months, or fine, or both, if found guilty.

According to the facts of the case, Sollunda stripped in public after an argument with a traders when she failed to settle her bill at a chicken rice shop.