Sibu senior fined, son jailed for threatening auto accessory shop owner

SIBU: A senior citizen was fined RM1,000 and his son jailed seven days by a Magistrate's Court here after they pleaded guilty to criminal intimidation.

According to the charge sheet, Ling Chai You, 69, was charged for swinging a meat cleaver at a 30-year-old car accessory shop owner.

His son Ling Pick Wei, 33, faced a similar charge for threatening to set the shop on fire.

Both were charged under Section 503 of the Penal Code for the offence, which was committed at 12.30pm on Aug 12 at a carpark in Jalan Bukit Assek.

The section carries a maximum seven years' imprisonment, a fine or both upon conviction.

The incident reportedly took place because the older man was unhappy with the noise constantly blaring from car audio systems being tested at the shop, about 10m from his home.

Defence counsel Boston Ho, in pleading for a lighter sentence, said the Ling family had been continuously disturbed by the loud noise from the shop.

"They lodged three police reports about the nuisance in 2021 and 2022 but were told that the matter was under the local council's jurisdiction," he added.

Ho said a 1min 46sec video of the incident that was widely circulated on social media had led to his clients being criticised online.

Magistrate Oon Kork Chern presided while Insp Norfadilah Zainal prosecuted.