By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Nov 6: Two men with a history of quarrels and previous scuffles were each fined RM1,000 by the Magistrates’ Court here today for fighting in public last week.
The two accused, aged 35 and 42, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan, who ordered each to serve two weeks’ imprisonment in default of payment.
The incident occurred at about 2pm on Oct 30 at KTLD, Jalan Merbau, Pending Industrial Estate, where their altercation disrupted public order.
The court heard that police were alerted to the fight after a member of the public called.
One of the men had been taken to a nearby private hospital for treatment, where police officers who went to the hospital found him with a long gash across his back.
In his initial statement to police, the injured man claimed that the other accused had attacked him with a sharp weapon while he was seated at a table in a shop before fleeing the scene.
He said he did not know why he had been targeted and had initially decided not to lodge a police report, preferring to settle the matter himself.
However, subsequent police investigations revealed that the two men had been provoking each other before agreeing to meet to settle their differences. The meeting eventually escalated into a public fight.
Police arrested both men the same day.
They were charged under Section 159 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 160, which provides for a maximum jail term of six months, a fine of up to RM1,000, or both upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Aqila Morsalin prosecuted the case, while both accused were unrepresented. — DayakDaily
