KUALA LUMPUR – A 37-year-old delivery runner who admitted to assaulting Twentytwo13 co-founder and editor Haresh Deol last November will learn his fate tomorrow at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court.
R. Krishnan was charged on Nov 28 with voluntarily causing hurt to Haresh in front of the Tanjung Balai Group building in Bangsar on Nov 25. Another suspect remains at large. Krishnan pleaded guilty before magistrate Illi Marisqa Khalizan.
The charge, under Section 323 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum jail term of one year, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both. His lawyer, Mohamad Salihen Mastor, told the court Krishnan is a father of six who earns RM40 a day as a runner.
Haresh, an award-winning journalist and deputy president of the National Press Club Malaysia, has been reporting extensively on sports integrity issues, including the doctored documents scandal involving the Football Association of Malaysia and seven heritage footballers fined by Fifa. FAM has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
On the day of the attack, Haresh had just finished a meeting and was heading to his car when two men approached. He tried to flee but was knocked down by a third man.
He was then kicked and punched by the assailants, while one attacker recorded the assault on a mobile phone. The men fled without taking any belongings.
Haresh lodged a police report at the Brickfields District Police Headquarters. He sustained facial bruises and bleeding injuries to both elbows. Krishnan was arrested on Nov 26 and remanded for three days.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil condemned the attack, while Malaysians from all walks of life — including national leaders, veteran politicians, legal experts and media practitioners — voiced support for Haresh.
Media organisations such as the National Press Club Malaysia, the Malaysian Media Council, the National Union of Journalists and Gerakan Media Merdeka also denounced the assault, warning of growing threats to press freedom and public safety.
Police have yet to provide updates on the two other suspects still at large. – January 21, 2026