Man jailed 12 months for kopitiam break-in

KUCHING: A 49-year-old grasscutter was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment by the Magistrates’ Court here today for breaking into a kopitiam in Bandar Baru Samariang on National Day.

Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali imposed the sentence on Raziman Fitri Omar after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 457 of the Penal Code.

The court ordered the sentence to take effect from the date of conviction on Sept 21.

The offence was committed at about 11.09pm on Aug 31 at a kopitiam near Bandar Baru Samariang, Jalan Sultan Tengah, belonging to a 44-year-old complainant.

The court heard that the complainant discovered the padlock securing the storage room had been pried open.

Upon checking the room, he found a microphone wire, carpet and catering appliances missing.

Police subsequently arrested Raziman following a report lodged by the complainant and recovered the carpet from him.

Investigations found that Raziman was a frequent customer at the kopitiam and had rented a unit on the second floor of the same building, while the complainant had been renting the premises for the past 17 years.

CCTV footage recorded on Aug 31 showed Raziman breaking into the premises and taking a carpet from the storage room.

Under Section 457 of the Penal Code, a person convicted of housebreaking or criminal trespass committed to facilitate an offence is liable to imprisonment of up to five years and a fine. Where the intended offence is theft, the imprisonment term may extend to 14 years.

In a separate case before the same court, Raziman was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to a charge under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (Act 234).

He was also ordered to undergo police supervision for two years after completing the sentence.

The charge stated that Raziman had tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine at about 2.41pm on Sept 28, 2022, at the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division (NCID) here.

The court heard that police had arrested Raziman on suspicion of drug abuse, following which an initial urine test returned positive for both substances.

The urine sample was subsequently sent to the Pathology Department of Sarawak General Hospital, which confirmed the presence of amphetamine and methamphetamine, both listed in the First Schedule of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

Under Section 15(1)(a) of the Act, a person convicted of self-administration of a dangerous drug may be fined up to RM5,000 or sentenced to imprisonment for up to two years.

Prosecution in both cases was conducted by Prosecution Officer Inspector Siti Radhiah Abdul Rahman, while Raziman was unrepresented.