SIBU: Two men were each fined RM1,000, in default, 14 days’ imprisonment, by the Magistrate Court here for committing affray by fighting in a public place.
Kong Pan Ho, 48, of Jalan Wong King Huo, and Mohd Reduan Abdul Rahman, 34, of Jalan Tong Sang, pleaded guilty to the charge read and explained to them through an interpreter.
Both accused understood the charge and the consequences of maintaining their plea of guilt.
The charge stated that both had committed affray by fighting in a public place and disturbing the public peace at the compound of a shopping mall along Jalan Wong King Huo on October 6 at about 6:40 pm.
As such, they had jointly committed an offence under Section 159 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 160 of the same code.
The punishment for the offence reads, “Whoever commits an affray shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to RM1,000, or with both.”
According to facts of the case, on October 6 at about 6:40 pm, behind a shopping mall at Jalan Wong King Huo, Kong (complainant) had a misunderstanding with a security guard who claimed it was his designated area whereby the former had crossed the stop line.
The complainant lodged a police report for further action.
Investigation revealed that due to dissatisfaction, the complainant proceeded to search for the suspect inside the shopping mall.
Upon locating the suspect at the shopping mall’s front area, a verbal altercation broke out between them that escalated into pushing and shoving.
During the confrontation, the complainant spat at the suspect who responded angrily and punched him twice on the left side of the face and caused swelling.
Following the incident, the complainant received medical treatment at Sibu Hospital, which classified his injuries as minor, while the suspect did not sustain any injuries.
Based on the findings of the investigation, it was recommended that both the complainant and the suspect be charged under Section 160 of the Penal Code for affray in a public place.
