KUCHING: An e-hailing driver has been slapped with a fine of RM2,500 or a jail term of four months by the Magistrates’ Court here on Wednesday (Aug 9) for deliberately damaging a sedan-type car’s front windshield, leading to a loss of RM900 for a property company.
Charles, 26, hailing from Pujut, Miri, pleaded guilty to the charge presented by the interpreter before Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali.
The charge stated that the incident occurred at a hotel car park in Jalan Padungan, around 3.30am on Aug 6.
The accused was prosecuted under Section 427 of the Penal Code, which carries a potential sentence of imprisonment ranging from one to five years, a fine, or both.
The facts of the case unveiled that on the early morning of Aug 6, a male complainant who was dining heard peculiar noises resembling rummaging in a nearby trash bin behind a hotel. Investigating the source of the sounds, he witnessed a man damaging the front windshield of a sedan-type vehicle owned by a property company.
The estimated value of the damage was assessed at RM900.
Promptly, the complainant reported the incident to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest by a patrolling police team in the vicinity on the same day. Authorities also seized the wooden stick used in the act as evidence.
Subsequent investigation uncovered that the accused tested positive for the drug methamphetamine.
Deputy public prosecutor Inspector Mohd Adzmei Ahmad conducted the prosecution while the accused was without legal representation.
