Prosecutors Abdul Musawwir bin Haji Awang Mahli and Ahmad Firdaus bin Mohammad charged permanent resident Rosleni bin Mahrop, 44 and local Aizuddin bin Haji Mat Salleh, 35, with housebreaking for theft and brought the case to the Intermediate Court.
Judge Hajah Hazarena binti Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Jaya Dato Paduka Haji Abu Hurairah heard guilty pleas from the defendants and convicted them, deferring sentencing to May 7 to consider fitting punishments for both.
The charge now carries penalties of 10 years imprisonment with whipping.
The defendants first charged in the Magistrate’s Court with the theft of a pair of shoes and a red light siren alarm, were remanded further for investigation.
The prosecution revealed that the sequence of events began when Rosleni visited Aizuddin’s residence at Jalan Kota Batu, Kampong Pelambayan, on April 21 evening. During the visit, Rosleni, Aizuddin and an unidentified individual (person ‘A’) devised a plan to commit theft at another property in Kampong Dato Gandi.
At 9pm, the trio proceeded to the targeted property. Upon arrival, they accessed the house through a concealed hole beneath the store room floor.
Once inside, Rosleni, Aizuddin and person ‘A’ searched for valuables to steal. Rosleni took a pair of sports shoes from the living room, along with a safe box handed over to him by person ‘A’, while Aizuddin found a silver metal belt in the kitchen.
However, their attempts were interrupted when Rosleni accidentally triggered a light siren alarm in the house, prompting them to vacate the premises through the concealed hole they entered from. Their escape was short-lived as a neighbour observed their suspicious behaviour and confronted them, leading to a chase. This resulted in Rosleni dropping the safe box to flee the scene.
At around 9.30pm, a neighbouring household member reported the incident to the police.
Following the report, the police initiated an investigation culminating in the arrest of Rosleni and Aizuddin on April 22. Police inquiries and subsequent admissions by the defendants confirmed their involvement in the theft, with recovered items including the silver metal belt, the pair sport shoes and the red light siren alarm.
However, several items including seven mobile phones and a CCTV system, remain unrecovered.
It was noted that Rosleni has prior convictions related to property offences in 2008 and 2017, while Aizuddin has previous convictions related to property offences in 2014. – Fadley Faisal
