Judge Hassan Abdul Ghani issued the order on the first day of her appeal today.

“Is the appellant not present?” Hassan asked Guok Ngek Seong, representing Rewcastle-Brown, before Guok confirmed her absence.

Guok said the appeal submitted on Feb 8 also sought a revision of power for the case, claiming that the magistrates’ court decision was null and void. He also said he had not received the appeal records from the lower court.

Guok also requested that the next case management be conducted online, as he was based in Kuala Lumpur and faced difficulties in obtaining a lawyer locally.

Additionally, he said Rewcastle-Brown had previously applied to be absent during the appeal hearing.

“I direct her to attend court. No Zoom or anything. Make sure the appellant is present in court,” Hassan said, before setting June 6 for the next case management.

The British national was found guilty of defamation under Section 500 of the Penal Code by the magistrates’ court here on Feb 7.

Rewcastle-Brown, based in London, was convicted of defaming Sultanah Nur Zahirah in her book entitled The Sarawak Report: The Inside Story of 1MDB Expose.

She was charged with committing the act on Sept 14, 2018, at Lot 60048, Taman Chendering Utama, here.