Mount Kinabalu nudists jailed, fined and deported after pleading guilty

Four tourists who posed naked on a sacred mountain in Malaysia were handed prison sentences on Friday. Briton Eleanor Hawkins, Canadians Lindsey and Danielle Peterson, and Dutchman Dylan Snel admitted causing a public disturbance when they posed nude on Mount Kinabalu. The group, and six others, were blamed for a magnitude 5.9 earthquake after the incident. At Kota Kinabalu Magistrates’ Court the judge jailed the quartet for three days and fined them 5,000 Malaysian ringgit ($1,500).

Many Malaysians will have seen the photos and their actions have caused annoyance. We expect them to obey the law and respect our culture.

Prosecutor Jamil Ariffin

All admitted a charge of “committing an obscene act in public” which carries a possible jail term of three months, a fine or both.Prosecutors said the four tourists, along with six others, climbed the peak to enjoy the sunrise on 30 May and then challenged each other to take off their clothes. All four had already been held in custody for three days leading up to the court appearance and will now be deported immediately.

Asia-Pacific Mount Kinabalu