Brunei Gets Tough On Young Joy Riding Car Thieves
By Rol Ezam

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei has no sympathy for car thieves who go on joyrides in vehicles they steal.

That is the message the Brunei High Court has sent down against such offenders yesterday. Therefore the High Court decided that a young car thief must remain in jail for two years.

Justice Dato Steven Chong in throwing out an appeal repeat offender Norfazil bin Tamit, 19, lodged ruled an earlier deterrent two-year sentence to remain in the public interest.

After dropping out of school at primary six Norfazil worked as a fishmonger. But the 19-year-old was unemployed at the time of his arrest. He had a record of three prior theft convictions, Judge Dato Steven Chong pointed out.

About midnight on August 25 last year, Norfazil with his three other accomplices walked from Bandar to Menglait intending to steal cars, the court heard.

Arriving at the Automax Company workshop, one of his accomplices used a key to unlock the door of a car, BK 755, and all four got in. The vehicle was then driven around the Gadong area before it was abandoned in Kg Bunut.

Then, in the early hours of the day after, the four of them went to the parking lot of the Lum Kum Mui building, where again one of his accomplices broke into another car, BH3725, and they took the vehicle for a joy-ride before leaving it behind at Jalan Tutong.

"The offences committed by the appellant must be treated seriously. It is in the public's interest that in cases concerning the theft of cars, the sentence imposed must be of sufficient severity in order to have a deterrent effect," the Brunei High Court maintained.

Therefore Judge Dato Chong dismissed Norfazil's appeal made against his consecutive one-year's jail sentence to two counts of car theft, earlier in the Magistrate's Court to which he pleaded guilty.

Besides Norfazil's guilty pleas, there is nothing to be said in his favour by way of mitigation, the judge remarked.

"Returning to the facts of the present case, there were two separate offences involving the theft of two cars at different locations and with sufficient time for reflection between each offence.

The Magistrate was therefore entirely correct in passing consecutive sentences and in circumstances, I think the sentence in totality of 2 years imprisonment is fully deserved," added the Judge. (Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin)

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