Cases of house-trespass coupled with theft are becoming “very common”, said Intermediate Court Judge Hajah Hazarena binti Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Jaya Dato Paduka Haji Abu Hurairah recently.
On handing a four-year, 11- months’ jail sentence to Muhammad Rejab bin Haji Ramli for trespassing and stealing from a number of apartments, the judge said that such cases needed to be urgently addressed by the authorities.
“The country is not as safe as it used to be,” she said, adding that the court will continue to impose harsh deterrent sentences to prevent future or repeat offences.
On Wednesday, Muhammad Rejab, a repeat offender, was sentenced to jail after he confirmed that he was not able to pay fines.
The defendant had trespassed into four apartment units in Gadong and stolen from three of them in September. Prosecutor Nurul Husna Abidin said the defendant was discovered by building maintenance workers while they were inspecting one of the units, which was supposed to be vacant.
When they arrived, they found the door to the unit blocked with tape from the inside.
After entering the unit, they discovered a man sleeping and immediately called the police.
The police arrested the defendant and upon searching the area, found a number of stolen items in his possession.
The defendant said he was looking for a place to stay when he went up the building in September. He found an unlocked door to the unit, where he stayed until his arrest. – Fadley Faisal
