KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Four Westerners who posed naked on Malaysia’s highest peak were sentenced Friday to three days in jail and fined for obscene behavior in a public place, their lawyer said.
The four were among 10 foreigners who stripped naked and took photos on Mount Kinabalu on May 30. A local official has said their behavior was disrespectful to the mountain, which is believed to be sacred, and caused a June 5 earthquake that killed 18 climbers.
Dutch citizen Dylan Snel, British student Eleanor Hawkins and Canadian siblings Lindsey and Danielle Petersen pleaded guilty in a court in Sabah state on Borneo island to a charge of public indecency, said their lawyer, Ronny Cham.
“They were remorseful and regretted their act, and offered to make a public apology,” Cham said.
The court was told the women were topless while the two men were totally nude, he said.
The court sentenced them to three days in jail, which they have already served since their arrests, and a fine of $1,330 each, to be followed by their deportation, Cham said.
Prosecutor Jamil Aripin said that there was no link between the earthquake and their act but said it had outraged the local community.
