BATU PAHAT: A farmer was sentenced to one month in jail by the magistrate's court here after pleading guilty to threatening to burn down his neighbour's house.
Ahrdi Shamsul Mustaffa, 51, admitted to issuing the threat out of anger, believing his 84-year-old neighbour had employed a "toyol", which is a supernatural entity, to steal from him.
"I was angry and threatened him because he keeps a toyol and has been stealing my money," Ahrdi explained in court when magistrate Suhaila Shafi'uddin questioned his action.
According to the charge sheet, Ahrdi, who is a single man, was accused of causing fear to his neighbour by uttering the threat, "I'll burn your house down if you don't follow me to the police station".
The incident occurred at the victim's house in Senggarang about 7am yesterday.
Ahrdi was charged under Section 506 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years' imprisonment, a fine or both, upon conviction.
The case facts revealed that police received a report from the neighbour, claiming that Ahrdi had threatened to set fire to his home.
Investigations found that during the incident, Ahrdi confronted the victim at his residence, accusing him of keeping a toyol.
An argument ensued, during which Ahrdi issued the threat.
Fearing for his safety, the elderly man lodged a report at the Senggarang police station.
Police arrested Ahrdi on the same day and took him to the Batu Pahat district police headquarters for further investigation.
The court heard that Ahrdi had previously been convicted under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 in March 2020 after testing positive for drug use.
He was also detained last month for the similar offence.
Deputy public prosecutor Farah Wahidah Mohd Sharip prosecuted the case, while Ahrdi was represented by Normahani Raais from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
After considering arguments from both sides, Suhaila sentenced Ahrdi to one month in jail, effective from the day of his arrest.