Riki Sapari, 39, said this under re-examination by Perak state prosecution director Jamil Aripin on the second day of Yong’s trial.

Riki received the victim’s complaint at the manpower department of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur at about 11am on July 8, 2019.

“There were no signs or other (background) noises when the victim spoke to me,” he said when Jamil asked if there were indications that the victim was with another person when speaking to him.

Riki said the victim appeared to be crying and in a state of panic and fear when talking to him on the phone.

He said he recorded her complaint as sexual harassment because he thought it came under rape, adding that the matter was then referred to the police for investigation.

The next witness, Ipoh district police headquarters case exhibit store supervisor A Anna Francisca, took the stand this morning before the hearing was adjourned to the afternoon.

Judge Abdul Wahab Mohamed presided over the case while Jamil was assisted by deputy public prosecutors Liyana Zawani Mohd Radzi and Ainul Wardah Shahidan and the defence was represented by lawyers Rajpal Singh, Salim Bashir and Phang Yong Nur Sarah.

On Dec 21 last year, the High Court here set the trial for nine days beginning March 30 this year after Yong, 51, pleaded not guilty to a charge of raping his maid at his house in Meru Desa Park on July 7, 2019 between 8.15pm and 9.15pm, but it was postponed to yesterday.

The case had been mentioned in the sessions court but on Dec 15 last year the Federal Court allowed an application by the defence to transfer the case to the High Court.

Yong was first charged in the sessions court here on Aug 23, 2019. With Pakatan Harapan leading Perak at the time, the then DAP assemblyman was the state housing, local government, public transport, non-Islamic affairs and new villages committee chairman.