Man gets five months’ jail for damaging SESCO cable

SIBU: The Magistrate’s Court here yesterday (Jan 5) sentenced a man to five months in jail after he pleaded guilty to committing mischief by cutting the electrical cable belonging to Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation (SESCO).

Magistrate Oon Kork Chern meted out the sentence against Wong Leh Kang, 43, who pleaded guilty under Section 431A of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

Based on the facts of the case, on Dec 23, 2023, at around 9am, a Sesco officer went to Taman Jasmin after receiving a report from the public about a severed cable.

Upon reaching the substation near a brick factory to disconnect the power supply, he spotted a man cutting copper cables in the area, who fled the scene after realising the presence of the Sesco officer.

At the same time, the officer also noticed an elderly woman standing near a motorcycle, who later informed that the motorcycle belonged to her, and the fleeing man was her son.

The officer then reported the incident to his supervisor and Sesco auxiliary police. The estimated loss is RM1,000.

On Dec 26 last year, at around 1.35pm, the police managed to arrest Wong at a house on Jalan Laichee to assist in the investigation.

Investigations found that Wong had brought his mother to the scene to cut Sesco cables along Jalan Sibu-Durin with a hammer and an iron crowbar thus, causing an electricity disruption in the area.

His mother is believed to be unaware of the crime committed by her son, who fled upon realising the officer’s presence, leaving behind the tools, his mother, and the motorcycle at the scene.