KUALA TERENGGANU (March 12): The High Court here on Tuesday fixed May 7 for case management of an appeal by the founder and editor of Sarawak Report Clare Rewcastle-Brown to set aside her conviction and two-year prison sentence for defaming Sultanah Nur Zahirah of Terengganu.

High Court deputy registrar Nordiana Abd Aziz set the date when the case came up for mention on Tuesday.

Lawyer Guok Ngek Seong, representing Rewcastle-Brown, when contacted by Bernama said he would apply to the court for the appeal proceedings to be conducted in absentia (without the presence of the accused) on the grounds that his client, who is a British citizen, is not in Malaysia.

Previously, the trial of the case in the Magistrate's Court was also conducted without the presence of the accused.

On Feb 7, Rewcastle-Brown was sentenced to two years in prison by the Magistrate's Court here after finding her guilty of defaming Sultanah Nur Zahirah under Section 500 of the Penal Code.

According to the charges, Rewcastle-Brown, who has a London, UK address, wrote a book titled The Sarawak Report: The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose, which contained accusations against the sultanah of Terengganu.

The specific defamatory content, highlighted on page three, paragraph four, and line seven, was the phrase "the wife of the sultan", which was deemed a deliberate act aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Sultanah Nur Zahirah.

The editor was charged with committing the offence at 8am, Sept 14, 2018, at Lot 60048, Taman Chendering Utama here.