Fadley Faisal
A 41-year-old local was sentenced on Wednesday to five years and six months’ jail with two whippings after changing his plea to guilty to theft-related charges on the first day of trial.
Rosazli bin Haji Metassan, as revealed by prosecutors Sabrina binti Haji Mahmud and Ahmad Firdaus bin Mohammad, stole from a residence in Kampong Sungai Lalit, Lumut in Mukim Liang in the early morning of December 11, 2021.
The house owner woke up to an open kitchen window and his car engine running outside.
He further found a safety boot missing from the car and another left outside the car.
He learnt more of his belongings had gone missing from the house and lodged a police report, which led to the defendant’s arrest.
The items stolen included a laptop, a back pack, a handbag, a purse, a sling bag, a watch, four pieces of one-gramme gold bars, a 250-gramme silver bar, 10 Dirham worth of silver, four car keys, a house key and foreign currency cash of JPY10,000.
Investigations led to unearthing that the defendant had struck another house the day before at Kampong Delima Satu, Jalan Kebangsaan.
The victim was about to go to work only to discover that his car had gone missing.
He lodged a police report and led to unearthing the defendant’s involvement.
The defendant had stripped the wheels and battery before leaving the car at a friend’s house in RPN Kampong Lumut.
Police found the car and its wheels and battery inside the house.
On December 18, 2021, the occupants at a house in RPN Kampong Pandan ‘B’, Kuala Belait were awoken from their sleep at 4.15am to find that a window was left open. The occupants went to inspect the compound and learnt that a motorcycle had gone missing, but was found left in the bushes not far from the house.
A police report was lodged leading to the defendant’s arrest.
Judge Radin Safiee bin Radin Mas Basiuni found that a higher sentence is justified as the defendant is a repeat offender and having denied the charges earlier.
The prosecution showed the court that the defendant had previously committed 16 theft related offences from 2000 to 2021.
The court also ordered for the recovered items returned to its owners.
