JOHOR BAHRU: Sam Ke Ting’s family has come forward to urge all parties not to turn the case into a racial and political issue following a High Court’s decision to reverse the acquittal of a reckless driving charge by the magistrate’s court twice.

Andrew Cheah, founder of charitable organisation Sunflower Charity-KL, conveyed the family’s message after visiting the family on 14 April.

Cheah told Sin Chew Daily despite worrying for Sam, the family remained positive so far.

The family also reiterated that it did not raise funds nor seek public donations over the matter, he said.

“Sam’s family is having discussions among the family members whether to enhance legal representation for her. I am not in the position to disclose other details,” said Cheah.

The family wanted to focus on handling Sam’s court case and did not wish the case to become more complicated with intervention from political parties and the media, said Cheah.

Cheah visited Sam’s mother after the latter contacted him on 13 April, the day Sam was convicted by the High Court to six years in jail over the accident that killed eight teenage cyclists on modified bicycles nearly five years ago.

Sam, 27, was sent straight to the jail as High Court Judge Datuk Abu Bakar Katar rejected Sam’s appeal for stay of execution.

At the age of 22, Sam was charged with driving recklessly along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam in Johor Bahru resulting in the death of eight cyclists at 3.20am in 2017.

She was acquitted twice by the magistrate’s court without calling for her to enter defence in 2019 and the second time in October 2021 on the grounds the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt when the High Court ordered for a re-trial.

The prosecution appealed against the second acquittal where Abu Bakar reversed the acquittal by sentencing her to six year’s jail without allowing bail, a fine of RM6,000 and three-year suspension of her driving licence.

It is reported that the Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear her application for leave to appeal and stay of execution on Monday (18 Apr).