Celebrity preacher, Da’i Syed was sent to prison today after the High Court dismissed his appeal and upheld the 10-year jail sentence and three strokes of the cane imposed on him for raping a woman seven years ago.

High Court Judge Adlin Abdul Majid delivered the decision after hearing submissions from both the defence and the prosecution in the appeal against conviction and sentence filed by Da’i Syed, whose real name is Syed Shah Iqmal Syed Mohd. Shaiful, 31.

In his ruling, Judge Adlin said the Sessions Court had not erred in its earlier findings, adding that the defence had failed to raise any reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.

“The accused’s testimony amounted to a mere denial. There are no special circumstances to warrant a stay of the sentence,” he said.

Describing the offence as serious, the judge ruled that both the conviction and sentence were safe, ordering the imprisonment to take effect immediately.

Earlier, the defence’s application to defer the sentence pending further proceedings was rejected, resulting in Syed being taken into custody shortly after the court proceedings concluded.

Meanwhile, Da’i Syed’s wife, Hana Ismail, 40, said she placed her trust entirely in God following the court’s decision.

“I leave everything to Allah,” she told reporters when met outside the courthouse.

She added that the welfare of their children was also entrusted to divine will.

“God willing, Allah will take care of everything. I leave it to Allah and to our lawyers. We remain steadfast and surrender to His decree,” she said.

Inside the courtroom earlier, Hana was seen embracing her husband repeatedly after the court dismissed the application for a stay of execution of the sentence.

For the record, Syed married Hana on Dec 3, 2022, and the couple has two children.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE