KUCHING: An unemployed man was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Magistrate’s Court here today for breaking into the rented house by prying open the door using a screwdriver, last July.
Sharfiqh Masri Reduan, 31, from Kampung Tupong Ulu, pleaded guilty to a charge read in front of Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Berayan.
According to the charge, he was accused under Section 457 of the Penal Code for breaking into the victim’s house in Sentral World, Bintawa at around 6 pm on July 21 last year.
The court ordered the accused to serve the prison sentence with effect from the date of arrest on July 28 last year.
Based on the facts of the case, when the complainant arrived at his rented house, he was informed by a shop worker that the front door of his unit on the fourth floor was open.
The complainant immediately rushed upstairs and found that the front door had been forced open and the belongings inside the house were scattered.
Upon inspection, the complainant discovered that several items were missing, including gold bracelets, gold chains, gold earrings, and two gold rings. The estimated loss was around RM8,000.
Consequently, the complainant lodged a police report, which led to the arrest of the accused at a hotel on Jalan Tun Jugah at around 4.30 pm on July 26 last year.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Sharfiqh and another accomplice had broken into the complainant’s rented house by using a screwdriver to pick the lock.
He had also sold the stolen gold to another individual for RM500.
The prosecution was handled by Inspector Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang, while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
