By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, May 3: A man was sentenced to one month in prison by the Magistrate’s Court here today for accidentally shooting and killing his friend while hunting for wild boars at Kampung Sungai Beradek.
Roy Panyie, 38, a lorry driver from Kampung Melaban, Samarahan, pleaded guilty to two charges read before Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali.
According to the first charge, he was charged under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing the accidental death of the 44-year-old man.
He was accused of accidentally shooting the victim with a shotgun while hunting in a forest in Kampung Sungai Beradek at around 9am on April 27. If convicted, he could be sentenced to imprisonment for up to two years, a fine, or both.
Syarifah Fatimah imposed a one-month prison sentence and a fine of RM3,000 or four months’ imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine for the first charge.
For the second charge, he was charged under Section 8(a) of the Firearms Act 1960 for possessing a shotgun without a valid license. For this offence, he was fined RM1,000 or sentenced to two weeks in prison.
Based on the facts of the case, on April 26, around 4.30pm, the accused and the victim went out for an overnight trip to hunt for wild boars.
On April 27, around 9am, while they were tracking a wild boar, the victim asked the accused to hold his shotgun.
However, as the accused held the weapon, the trigger was accidentally pressed, and the victim was hit and died shortly after. In a panic, the accused attempted to seek help by contacting others.
A police report was filed, and the victim’s body was taken to the hospital for further action.
As a result of the investigation, the pathology report confirmed a gunshot wound to the chest in the incident.
Furthermore, the weapon used by the accused was seized, and the report confirmed that the shotgun was unlicensed.
The prosecution was conducted by Inspector Ammarsoffi Yusoff, while the accused was not represented by a lawyer. — DayakDaily
