JOHOR BARU: A 28-year-old tow truck driver has been sentenced to a total of seven months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court for splashing red paint on two different properties here.
The accused, Muhamad Yaccob Ibrahim, pleaded guilty to two separate charges of property destruction on Wednesday (May 13).
He was first charged for splashing red paint at a house in Taman Mount Austin here at around 4.10pm on April 7, damaging the property and causing losses to the 52-year-old victim.
Magistrate Azureen Sahira Sauffee Afandi ordered Muhamad Yaccob to serve a three-month jail term starting Wednesday.
In a separate courtroom, Muhamad Yaccob also pleaded guilty to splashing red paint at a condominium unit in Kampung Sungai Danga here at around 7am on Dec 24 last year, which incurred losses to the 37-year-old victim.
Magistrate Nabilah Nizam sentenced the accused to four months’ imprisonment, commencing on the date of his arrest, April 16.
Both offences were framed under Section 426 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to five years, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
The cases were led by deputy public prosecutor Anis Shafeeqah Mohd Shariffuddin and Nor Deana Aqilah Aliman, respectively.
Earlier, National Legal Aid Foundation counsels K. Vijayan and Zulyatie Awang, who represented the accused, asked the court to hand out a jail sentence rather than a fine, as Muhhamad Yaccob earns about RM1,000 a month and has to care for his wife and two children.
Previously, police reportedly arrested six suspects, including two women believed to be loan shark runners who actively target victims’ properties with Molotov cocktails and red paint.
The suspects, aged 21 to 42, were arrested in the Klang Valley early last month following a 52-year-old victim’s police report after his property was splashed with red paint.
