Fadley Faisal
The Court of Appeal on November 26 dismissed a burglar’s application, citing his guilty plea for an entitlement in reduction to his sentence.
President of the Court of Appeal Justice Michael Peter Burrell, sitting with Justices Conrad Seagroatt and Michael Lunn, saw that the sentencing Judge had given half a discount in starting point before handing the sentence of four years and two months’ jail, with two canings to Awangku Md Ibnu bin Pengiran Haji Othman on April 20, 2021.
The appeals gave consideration to the sentencing Judge having correctly given discount as the appellant had claimed trial to the charge of housebreaking by night at first, and only changing his plea to guilty when the prosecution’s case in trial was nearly completed.
“We regard the judge’s decision to halve the normal discount from one third to one sixth to be entirely fair and appropriate in all the circumstances,” the appellate court decided.
The appellant earlier broke into a house wearing masks in the late evening of September 1, 2020 while accompanied by another person at large.
He stole valuables ranging from house and car keys to gadgets and money.
The house owner and CCTV footage aided the police leading to the appellant’s arrest.
DPP Pengiran Norsuzanawati binti Pengiran Haji Abas and Prosecutor Syazwani binti Jumat assisted the Court of Appeal in responding to Awangku Md Ibnu’s application.
