By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, March 5: A 26-year-old local man has been fined RM7,000 or sentenced to one year and three months in prison by the Magistrate’s Court here today after a car chase led to his arrest for using a fake vehicle registration number and possessing stolen property—a pair of branded shoes.
The accused pleaded guilty to two separate charges. On the first charge, under Section 108(3)(f) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333/87), he was found guilty of displaying a fake registration number on his Proton Saga sedan.
The offence, committed at around 5.45pm on Feb 28 near the Datuk Temenggong Abang Kipali Abang Akip roundabout/underpass in Petra Jaya, carries a penalty of a fine between RM5,000 and RM20,000, imprisonment of one to five years, or both.
According to case facts, police officers were alerted to the case after receiving a report from a victim regarding an overdue rental car that had not been returned as per the agreement.
A GPS tracker on the victim’s phone indicated the vehicle’s last known location in Kampung Sinjan, Petra Jaya.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers attempted to stop the accused, but he fled in the vehicle, leading them on a chase from Jalan Astana to the Datuk Temenggong Abang Kipali Abang Akip roundabout/underpass. During the pursuit, he also rammed into a police vehicle.
Eventually, he lost control of the car and veered off the road, allowing officers to arrest him. Upon inspection, the car was found to be displaying a fake registration number.
For this, the magistrate imposed a fine of RM5,000 or an alternative one-year imprisonment if he failed to pay.
In a separate case filed against the accused, he was charged under Section 411 of the Penal Code for possessing stolen property—a pair of Adidas shoes belonging to a 33-year-old male victim.
He was found in possession of the stolen shoes when detained at Tabuan Police Station at around 8.25pm on Feb 4.
For this offence, he was fined RM2,000 or three months’ imprisonment if the fine was not paid.
The case was prosecuted by Inspector Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin, while the accused was unrepresented. – DayakDaily
