Kuching court jails housebreaker who left fingerprints at scene of crime

KUCHING (Nov 14): The Magistrates’ Court here today jailed a 21-year-old man for two years for committing housebreaking.

Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan convicted Mohamad Ali Abdullah on his own guilty plea to a charge under Section 457 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same Code.

The Section provides for imprisonment that may extend to 14 years, upon conviction, and for every second or subsequent offence shall be liable to a fine or caning.

The court ordered the jail sentence to take effect from today.

Mohamad Ali committed the offence at Muara Tabuan Phase 2 at around 12.30pm on June 5, 2022.

According to the facts of the case, the house owner, 48, discovered the break-in when she returned from her village and saw the grille at the back of her house had been pried open.

The items missing included two televisions and a cooking gas cylinder, with losses estimated at RM1,500.

Police were able to identify Mohamad Ali as the perpetrator based on his fingerprints found at the crime scene and arrested him on July 21, 2022.

Prosecuting was Insp Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang, while the accused was unrepresented by legal counsel.