Ruslan Mat Ali, a father of three, pleaded not guilty before judge Ahmad Fuad Othman after the charges were read, Harian Metro reported.

In making his plea, he claimed he had dropped his handphone while fishing and had no idea how the Facebook comments were made.

He was accused of knowingly using his Facebook account to send offensive comments against Nurul Izzah with the intention of annoying others.

He was charged with committing the offences between Jan 2 and Feb 26.

The charges were framed under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act, punishable by a maximum RM50,000 fine, up to one year’s imprisonment, or both, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Fadhli Ab Wahab asked the court to fix bail at RM15,000. However, Ruslan, who was unrepresented, sought a lower bail amount, saying he had no income, was divorced, and had to look after three children.

The judge granted bail of RM10,000 and fixed July 18 for mention.

Ruslan failed to post bail and was placed under remand until the next court date.