KUCHING: A 25-year-old unemployed man with a drug addiction was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment by the Magistrates’ Court here today for destroying property belonging to his adoptive father last January.
Kelvin Vong Sze Haw pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read before Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nadzwa Radzali.
He was charged under Section 427 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum imprisonment of five years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
According to the charge, Vong committed the offence at his family residence in Jalan Batu Kitang on January 30 at about 5.30 pm, where he intentionally damaged a house grille and a cabinet mirror belonging to his father.
The facts of the case revealed that on the day of the incident, Vong arrived at the family home in a fit of anger and proceeded to damage the items.
His father subsequently lodged a police report the same day.
Police arrested Vong at around 6.30 pm following the report.
Investigations later confirmed that he was the adopted son of the complainant.
Prior to the incident, Vong had repeatedly left and returned to the house, eventually prompting his father to refuse him permission to stay there any longer.
He was also known to frequently throw tantrums whenever his requests were not met by his father or other family members.
On the day of the incident, his father had promised that he could have his sister’s smartphone.
However, when the phone was not given to him, Vong flew into a rage, shaking the house grille and hurling a stone at the residence that shattered the cabinet mirror.
As a result of the damage, his father suffered losses amounting to RM500 and, fearing for his safety, sought police assistance to have Vong arrested.
In a separate case heard before the same magistrate, Vong was also fined RM2,500, in default six months’ imprisonment, for administering amphetamine and methamphetamine to himself.
For that offence, he was charged under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 15 of the same Act.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly, while Vong was unrepresented.
