Chronic thief handed double jail sentence
By Rol Ezam

A local man with a long list of previous convictions starting from the late 70s was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment with 4 strokes, yesterday by Judge Dato Paduka Steven Chong at the High Court. The defendant, Hassan Hj Tahir first pleaded guilty to commit housebreaking belonging to Hj Besar Mohammad with intent to commit theft for which he was sentenced to 2 years in jailed with 4 strokes.

He then pleaded guilty to committing house trespass to the same house, where Judge Steven Chong punished him to 2 years imprisonment to run consecutively with the first charge.

However, Judge Steven Chong ordered for the sentence to run with effect from the date of his remand.

The defendant has four kids and was unemployed. He previously worked as a land-surveyor at the Public Works Department and as a watchman at a government department.

According to the Deputy Public Prosecutor, Hj Afif Daraina bin PD Hj Badaruddin, who was assisted by Adina Aliddin yesterday, the defendant committed the offence with another man who is still at large, Amat Akip, to the said house at Jln Polo in Kg Jerudong.

The statement of facts stated that both committed the offence May 14 last year by using a car belonging to Amat Akip.

Upon arrival at the said house, they both were aware that the said house had no occupants in it at the time and decided for Amat Akip to enter the house through a ground floor sliding window at the rear of the house.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin