By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Nov 5: A quarrel over an ex-girlfriend has cost two friends RM800 each after they admitted fighting in public in the early hours of Oct 18.
The Magistrate’s Court here today fined the men, aged 27 and 24, RM800 each or one week’s jail in default.
Both work as car salesmen and pleaded guilty to a joint charge of fighting in a public place and disturbing public order, before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan.
Neither was represented by a lawyer.
The court heard that the trouble began at around 4am at an open-air food stall in Pasar Kenyalang Park. The 27-year-old, upset after spotting his former girlfriend sharing a meal with his friend, slammed his hand on the table and threw a drink at him.
The two then traded punches.
Bystanders stepped in to separate them. Both men sustained minor injuries, and six glasses were smashed in the scuffle.
The stall owner reported the disturbance to police, describing a fight between two men he did not know. Officers followed up on the report and arrested the pair. Investigators later pieced the incident together using CCTV footage, videos taken on smartphones and accounts from several eyewitnesses.
The charge was brought under Section 159 of the Penal Code. Under Section 160, offenders face up to six months’ jail, a fine of up to RM1,000, or both.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Aqila Morsalin conducted the prosecution. – DayakDaily
