Magistrate Nadratun Naim Saidi ordered that the jail terms of M Jegathesan, 58, and Halila Abu Bakar, 37, be backdated to begin from the date of their arrest on March 23.

They were charged with carrying out acts of gross indecency at the cemetery on March 22. The charge, under Section 377D of the Penal Code, carries a jail term of up to two years upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Lau Shavin asked the court to impose a deterrent sentence to warn the public against committing indecent acts.

She said the severity of the crime was double as Halila was not Jegathesan’s wife.

Lawyer R Purantharan meanwhile asked for a lighter sentence for both, saying Jegathesan was his family’s sole breadwinner and had to care for his wife, a stroke patient, and their two children.

He added that Halila was an unemployed single supported by her family.