The Intermediate Court yesterday handed jail sentences, along with canings to four local men who stole electrical cables which disrupted the key services of the Department of Electrical Services.
Haji Md Hardy bin Haji Yusuf, 41, and Abu Bakar bin Haji Othman, 41, each got a sentence of four years’ jail with four canings.
Judge Hajah Hazarena binti Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Jaya Dato Paduka Haji Hurairah handed a sentence of three years’ imprisonment with four canings to Ali Harusdey bin Timbang, 42, and Mohd Sambri bin Haji Yusof, 38.
Prosecutor Syazwani binti Jumat revealed in court that the defendants stole copper cables from RPN Lambak Kanan area sometime between February and March, disrupting key service providers.
It was after midnight on March 27 when the defendants went to the forest at RPN Lambak Kanan where they stole the copper cables.
They dug out and cut the cables, and took rice sacks to fill them with the stolen copper cables to one of their houses. The group parted ways to regroup at a house in RPN Lambak Kanan. As soon as the defendants went on a road near the house in RPN Lambak Kanan, they saw one of their friends in a car and waved to him.
The car approached the defendants. This was when the defendants realised that their friend in the car was with a group of police officers who had arrested him.
The defendants were also arrested. Haji Md Hardy and Abu Bakar received a heavier sentence to include earlier offences of theft of scaffolding materials. – Fadley Faisal
