SIBU: A 23-year-old man was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment by the Magistrates’ Court here on Monday (Mar 9) on a charge of assisting in disposing of a stolen property.
Ronald Matu Raymond from Bintangor, pleaded guilty to the charge read and explained to him through an interpreter.
Magistrate Romario Jonoi passed down the sentence after accepting his plea of guilt.
Ronald was indicted for voluntarily assisting in disposing of stolen property, to which, an iron boat belonging to Busra Basri, having reason to believe the same to be stolen property by selling the said iron boat to Sim Teck Huat.
The offence committed at a metal trading company, Jalan Then Kung Suk, Upper Lanang on Feb 26 at about 4.30 pm, falls under Section 414 of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to five years or fine or both.
According to case facts, on Feb 25 at about 4.11 pm, Busra (complainant) went to Daro Police Station and lodged a report stating that on the same day at about 12.50 pm, while he was at a grocery shop in Semop, Daro, he received a phone call from his friend known as Akih.
Akih informed the complainant that he had seen a white lorry leaving the Semop cemetery area, which was the place where the complainant had stored his construction materials.
The complainant then went to the location and discovered some of his properties missing, including the iron boat.
He estimated the loss at approximately RM8,500.
On Feb 27 at about 3.30 pm, acting on information received, a police team led by Sub-Inspector Abdul Syukur Sagiman arrested the accused at the roadside near Batang Paloh Ferry, Daro.
On the following day at about 1 pm, Inspector Muhammad Azani Aszha, together with a police team proceeded under the guidance of the accused to a metal trading company and recovered the stolen property.
The case was prosecuted by DPP Haris Daniel Mohmamed Hassan while the accused, who was not represented by legal counsel, was ordered to serve the sentence from his date of arrest on Feb 27.
