The appellate court denied an appeal on June 18 for a reduced sentence by Muhammad Syakirin bin Haji Hamdani, who was convicted of multiple house-breaking offences.
Presided by Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong, sitting with Justices Conrad Seagroatt and Edward Timothy Starbuck Woolley, the court upheld the original sentence imposed by the Intermediate Court.
Muhammad Syakirin had been sentenced to a total of seven years imprisonment and four canings after he pleaded guilty to two counts of house-breaking to commit theft and one count of house-breaking by night to commit theft.
He stole several items valued at over BND9,000 from a drone store between March 31 and April 1, 2020 as well as stealing a ‘substantial amount of merchandise’ from a remote control car store in June 25, 2020. He struck the same drone store in April 3, 2022 and was caught on CCTV, which led to his arrest.
He had prior convictions on his record, including two for outraging modesty in 2012 and one for theft in 2016.
At his appeal, Muhammad Syakirin argued that his imprisonment would cause significant hardship for his children. Prosecutor Syazwani binti Haji Jumat opposed the appeal, emphasising the severity and repetitive nature of Syakirin’s crimes.
The Court of Appeal acknowledged that family hardship is a common consequence of imprisonment but noted that this rarely influences the appropriateness of a sentence.
The judges highlighted the seriousness of Syakirin’s repeat offences and his prior convictions. They found that the sentences imposed were within the appropriate range for such crimes and concluded that the total sentence was neither wrong in principle nor excessive. – Fadley Faisal
