S Teenesh, 40, pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him before magistrate Farah Nabihah Dan.

He was accused of helping the suspects evade the authorities on Feb 7 by sheltering them at an accommodation for workers in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan.

The charge was framed under Section 120B(2) of the Penal Code for criminal conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.

During mitigation, lawyer Zaidi Othman said his client, an odd-job worker at an oil palm estate, did not know who the suspects were when they were brought to the quarters by several workers.

“When he first saw the suspects, he had no idea who they were and was not involved in the hit-and-run incident. He merely followed the decision of the majority of workers there to shelter them,” he said.

Zaidi added that his client had no criminal record and that this was his first time appearing in court.

The magistrate then imposed the RM2,000 fine, or two months’ jail in default.

Five men were previously charged with rioting with weapons in connection with the Jan 29 incident.

The case gained widespread attention after footage of two vehicles running over a group of individuals outside a nightclub went viral on social media.