Compulsive Liar Jailed Again For Impersonating
By Rol Ezam

Bandar Seri Begawan - A man described by the court as a “compulsive liar” who posed off deceitfully as a narcotics officer as well as a religious department official to gain access to five-star treatment at some of the leading hotels, got his just desserts when he was sent to 42 months in jail.

The 31 year-old jobless father, who denied cheating two high-class hotels, misappropriating property and two theft charges, was found guilty by the Bandar Magistrate’s Court yesterday .

“You are a compulsive liar and a lazy man. You live in a pretend world and a person having an expensive taste,” said the Chief Magistrate Dk Rostaina Pg Hj Duraman before passing the sentence.

The unrepresented defendant, Abu Sofian Mohd Zin, who had three previous convictions on impersonating, was convicted after trial where 12 witnesses were called in by the prosecution to give evidence.

“You deceived the hotels and because of that they allowed you to be a guest. From then on, as a guest of the hotels, you got a cash advance, car rental, room service etc, which were all charged to your room. However, you never paid for these charges and your action had caused loss of business to the hotels,” said the Chief Magistrate.

He was sentenced to one year in jail for cheating the Empire Hotel & Country Club on May 23 by falsely presenting himself as an Officer from the Narcotic Control Bureau by the name of Abu Sofian Saidi to the hotel receptionist.

He was sentenced to another one year imprisonment for cheating the Holiday Lodge Hotel on May 17 by falsely representing himself as an officer from the Religious Department with the same name.

Prosecuting Officer, Shamshuddin Hj Kamaluddin yesterday explained that he had dishonestly induced the Emipre’s hotel receptionist to accept him as a guest of the hotel by checking him into two different rooms and doing the same to the Holiday Lodge hotel receptionist to accept him as a guest by checking him into a room of the hotel, which the two receptionists would not have done if they were not deceived, he said.

Meanwhile, he was sentenced to six months in jail each for misappropriating a wallet (containing one IBB ATM card, one Brunei driving license, a copy of Brunei NIRC and $80 cash) and stealing $100 and $40 by withdrawing the money using an IBB ATM card belonging to Mohammad Sofian Saidi at the IBB Brunei International Airport and IBB Muara ATM machine.

“You have caused hardship to Mohammad Sofian where you stole his money and the ATM card. And because of that you made him borrow money from his fiancée and he also have to use passbook for him to get money from the bank to buy petrol for his car,” said the Chief Magistrate.

He was convicted for impersonating in 2001 and was released from prison sometime early last year after serving 20 months imprisonment. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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