Witness claims that preacher Ebit Lew was shirtless in video call

TENOM: Preacher Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew, often known as Ebit Lew, once made a video call to her while he was shirtless, according to a witness who testified in today’s magistrates’ court.

The forty-year-old woman, the complainant and the prosecution’s ninth witness in Ebit’s sexual harassment trial, claimed that after over three weeks of texting and phone calls, the preacher had never made a video call before.

The witness stated during the principal interrogation led by deputy public prosecutor Zahida Zakaria that she refused to take the video call that was placed on March 22, 2021, at 11:35 a.m.

“He called again and again, but I kept turning him down.” He texted me, asking why I wasn’t responding and remarking, “This isn’t fair.”

She said, “I remember that when he made that video call, he was shirtless.”

She had earlier told the court that on March 3, 2021, a day after she had given him her number through Instagram, Ebit had texted and contacted her.

She identified Ebit’s voice during the four minutes and fifty-one-second call from his live broadcasts, speeches, and social media posts.

“I remember him asking me about my career, my family, and the issues I was having. I gave information about my family and problems because I was interested in his programming,” the woman remarked.

She claimed that between then till March 29, 2021, Ebit regularly texted and called, progressively sending more explicit sexual content in his conversations.

To confirm any calls made from Ebit’s phone number to the witness, Zahida had previously looked at a document from Celcom that contained subscriber data and call details.

The prosecution presented Cybersecurity Malaysia’s digital forensic case report, which featured the witness and Ebit’s correspondence, during today’s sessions.

Ebit, 38, is accused of 11 crimes, including sending vulgar texts and photographs to the victim’s phone number on the WhatsApp app between March and June 2021, out of respect for a woman in her 40s.

If found guilty of the accusations under Section 509 of the Penal Code, a jail sentence of up to five years, a fine, or both, may be imposed.

The trial continues tomorrow.