A 39-year-old unemployed man was sentenced to eight months’ jail on Saturday after admitting to causing damage to property at the parking lot of Jame’ ‘Asr Cemetery, Kampong Kiarong.
Muhammad Izzat bin Haji Said pleaded guilty on April 8, to a charge of mischief under Section 426 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
The incident took place on the afternoon of April 3, between 3.27pm and 6pm, when Muhammad Izzat overturned six tables and smashed 40 bottles of air asah-asahan – often sold near cemeteries – causing an estimated loss of BND178.
According to Prosecutor Syafina binti Abdul Hadzid, the defendant aggressively overturned the tables and hurled the bottles onto the ground. He fled the scene when the owners confronted him and threatened to call the police.
A chase ensued, and Muhammad Izzat was apprehended by one of the owners with help from a member of the public at a roundabout in Kampong Kiulap. The defendant later admitted to police that he had intentionally caused the damage.
He also has a previous conviction involving property offences. Magistrate Muhammad Qamarul Affyian binti Abdul Rahman earlier took a starting point of 12-months’ jail sentence, but reduced it to eight months in light of the guilty plea. – Fadley Faisal
