BATU PAHAT: Two men were sentenced to 18 months in prison after they pleaded guilty at the magistrate's court here today for stealing lion dance props and instruments last month.
Tanesh Aromugom, 45, and Vino Deva Ramachandran, 41, admitted to the charges read together before magistrate Nurasidah A, Rahman.
The duo were charged with breaking into a house in Taman Orchard Height at 9pm on Dec 31 last year and stealing props and instruments used by the lion dance troop, including cymbals, a drum stand, a gong, flagpoles, dumbbells and steel dance bases.
They were charged under Section 457 of the Penal Code for break-in, read with Section 34 for the involvement of more than a person in the offence, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine.
According to the case facts, the house owner, 26, lodged a police report at 11am on Jan 1 after he discovered that the back door of his home had been broken into.
Police arrested the two suspects at separate locations and recovered the stolen lion dance props.
Deputy public prosecutor Farah Wahidah Mohd Sharip and prosecuting officer Inspector Ling Shao Shen prosecuted, and the accused were represented by Kamarularifin Nordin of the National Legal Aid Foundation.
The court ordered the prison term to commence from the date of their arrest on Jan 1.
In the same court, Tanesh pleaded guilty to a drug-related charge after testing positive for methamphetamine.