IPOH: A loan shark's henchman pleaded guilty in the Magistrate's Court here today to six charges of splashing paint on different victims' homes between June and July this year.
Chee Wei Leong, 44, made the plea when the charges were read before Magistrate S. Punitha.
According to the first charge, he was accused of vandalism for splashing red paint on the gate and door of a house in Kampung Baru Bukit Merah, causing a loss of RM500 at 6.01am on July 13.
For the second charge, he was accused of vandalism for splashing red paint on a house in Taman Utama Bercham, causing a loss of over RM25 at 7am on July 8.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Hidayu Zakaria requested the court to impose a suitable sentence on the accused.
Meanwhile, a lawyer from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) Nor Izawani Ahmad Jalaludin representing the accused, requested the court to impose a minimum sentence, saying that her client had no stable job and needed to support two children, a wife, and an elderly mother.
Punitha then imposed a fine of RM2,000 on the accused for the first charge and ordered Chee to serve a four-month prison sentence if he fails to pay the fine.
For the second charge, the court sentenced him to one year in prison, starting from the date of arrest on July 15.
In a separate proceeding, Chee also pleaded guilty to four additional charges of vandalism before Magistrate Noor Azreen Liana Mohd Darus.
The father of two was accused of vandalising the homes of four different individuals.
The offences were allegedly committed at various locations, including Persiaran Halaman Ampang 5 Taman Pelangi, Lorong Bercham 5 Kampung Bercham, Taman Pinggir Rapat Perdana, and Persiaran Perpaduan 10 Arena Perpaduan Jaya, between 7.30am on June 3 and 5am on July 13, this year.
The offence, under Section 427 of the Penal Code, provides for a jail term of between one and five years and a fine, or both, if convicted.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nuranisah Ismah Muhammad Husaini, while the accused was represented by YBGK lawyer Ng Yun Khong.
The court granted the accused bail of RM8,000 for all four charges and set a case mention for sentencing on October 18.