The Magistrate’s Court recently handed jail sentences with whipping to four local men convicted of theft of metal railings from two bridges and damaging them, following a trial.
Mohammad Royzeualif bin Mohammad Roydezuan received 36 months’ imprisonment with two whippings, while Muhammad Abdul Raziq bin Mohammad Roydezuan, Muhammad Rifa’ie bin Sable and Zainulariffin bin Japari got 18 months’ imprisonment with two whippings.
Magistrate Syaffina binti Shahif found the defendants guilty of stealing five metal railings from the Sungai Tutong Bridge and four from the Telamba Tutong Bridge.
Additionally, they were convicted for causing significant damage to both bridges. Prosecutor Nur Zahidah Farhanah binti Abdul Aziz presented her case, detailing how the defendants used a vehicle to transport the stolen railings. They used a spanner to remove the nuts securing the railings, which were sold at a scrapyard on the Telisai Highway, sometime between December 2022 and January 2023. Prosecution witnesses, including a tradesman and an eyewitness, provided testimony to the prosecution’s case.
All four defendants denied the charges, offering alibis and defences. Mohammad Royzeualif and Muhammad Rifa’ie claimed they were working at the time, while Muhammad Abdul Raziq and Zainulariffin insisted they were at home. However, the court found these defences inconsistent and unsubstantiated, highlighting significant contradictions in their testimonies.
Magistrate Syaffina, in her judgement, emphasised the overwhelming evidence against the defendants. The defendants’ confessions, corroborated by physical evidence and witness testimony, were pivotal in the conviction. The damage to the bridges was substantiated by expert testimony and photographic evidence.
On handing sentence, the court gave weight to the severity of the offences and from reflecting the overall criminality of their actions. – Fadley Faisal
