SIBU, June 4 : A site supervisor was fined RM5,000 in default five months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court today after he pleaded guilty to breaking Covid-19 quarantine.
Magistrate Muhammad FaizalChe Saad passed the sentence based on public interest and the nature of the case.
According to the fact of the case, the accused, Jeffery Jambo Dana, 27, who was unrepresented, was charged for breaking his quarantine at about 9am on May 25 by having a plate of noodles at a cafe in Sibujaya.
He was supposed to observe 14-day quarantine at his home until May 30 after flying back from Kuala Lumpur where he was working.
The accused had even posted a photo of himself enjoying his meal on his personal Facebook page.
In doing so he had violated the Observation and Surveillance of the Contacts Order under Section 15(1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.
The offence was committed under Section 22(b) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.
In his mitigation, the accused pleaded for leniency, saying that he was remorseful for committing the offence. He also said that he had to support his underaged child, two siblings and parents.
Prosecutor Wilfred John from the State Health Department, asked the court to pass a deterrent sentence saying that the accused had flouted the home quarantine order and that his ‘actus reus’ had betrayed the frontliners that had been working very hard to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Wilfred said a heavier sentence would also serve as a lesson for the accused and the general public at large to abide by the rules and regulation of the Act and the guidelines of the Health Ministry to break the chain of transmission that will save the lives of many Malaysians.—DayakDaily
