MIRI, March 25 — The Sessions Court here yesterday sentenced a 30-year-old man to five years’ imprisonment for setting fire to the doors of a church.
Judge Azreena Aziz imposed the sentence on Robinson Jimbun Kadum of Jalan Kuching Timur 3, Taman Tunku after he pleaded guilty to charge framed under Section 435 of the Penal Code.
The Section provides for up to seven years imprisonment, or a fine, or both upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, the accused set fire to two church doors, causing damages estimated at RM1,800.
He committed the offence at around 9.30am on March 19 at the St Dominic and the Rosary Church in Taman Tunku.
Further police investigations found that the accused, who was under the influence of drugs, had set fire to the church door by igniting a plastic bottle filled with flammable liquid.
In mitigation, the accused pleaded for leniency, citing this was his first offence.
The court ordered for his prison sentence to begin from the date of arrest, which was on March 19.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Asymawi Ghazali prosecuted the case while the accused was unrepresented by legal counsel. — The Borneo Post
