Hard to identify other nudists, says Sabah police

Screengrab from Emil Kaminski Facebook

Police are having difficulty identifying the remaining six Mount Kinabalu “nudists” as they did not provide their full particulars when registering at Sabah Parks before their climb.

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Sabah Police Commissioner Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said they were able to positively identify five of the 10 people in the investigation into their uncouth antics on the mountain that is revered by the Kadazandusuns.

Of the 10 suspects seen in photographs circulated via social media, he said only five had complete personal particulars.

“We are urging Sabah Parks to take note of the matter and make it a must for climbers to give the details of their IC or passports,” he said.

Jalaluddin also advised mountain guides and Sabah Parks staff to report immediately any incidents or actions that were against the law.

Four of those identified – two Canadians (a sister and her brother), a British woman and a Dutch male – have been remanded until tomorrow following their arrests on Tuesday.

Siblings Lindsey Petersen, 22, and Danielle, 23, together with Dutch Dylan Snel, 23, surrendered at the Karamunsing police station here while Briton Eleanor Hawkins was arrested at the Tawau airport.

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“We want to speed up our investigations as soon as possible and pass the investigation papers to the deputy public prosecutor for further action,” Jalaluddin said yesterday.

According to a police report lodged on June 2 by a Sabah Parks ranger, a group of four women and six men had stripped at the South Peak side of the mountain between 6am and 10am on May 30.

The report also stated that photographs of them being nude were posted on Facebook.

This led to a slew of objections from people who felt that the “nudists” did not respect local customs.

It is understood that police investigations found that the foreigners were part of 27 tourists who had climbed Mount Kinabalu on May 29.

When they descended from the peak at about 7am the next day, the 10 allegedly stripped and scolded their guide using vulgarities when told not to.

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