A man who originally gained public attention for claiming to be Benjamin Glynn's counsel was sentenced to two weeks in jail on Tuesday (Feb. 21) for failing to wear a mask on two occasions when it was legally required.
58-year-old Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman requested a trial on two charges and represented himself.
The charges are for violating COVID-19 laws by not wearing a mask in and around the State Courts on July 2, 2021 and at East Coast Lagoon Food Village on March 19, 2021.
He was brought to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for mental evaluation after District Judge Bala Reddy deemed his defense nonsensical, but he was deemed competent to stand trial.
Due to Judge Reddy's consideration of the two weeks Abdul Rashid was detained at IMH, he will not have to serve any extra jail term.
Abdul Rashid concluded his defense on Tuesday with himself as the sole witness. He attempted to introduce v
arious documents as evidence, including publications with titles such as "Masks cause cancer," "A man is not a slave," and "Law that protects us from infringement on our God-given bodies."
The court informed him, however, that the documents could only be allowed as evidence if their authors testified.
In August 2021, Abdul Rashid stated he was sleeping at home with his family when three police officers came on his door without a warrant or court order.
He stated that he followed the officers because his wife was afraid, informing them that their actions were illegal.
His wife bailed him out after he was wrongfully arrested and detained for about six hours.
The majority of Abdul Rashid's defense centered on the fact that he did not "consent to be governed" by the rules due to his character.
He said that his father was a sultan.
Comments