Two men were sentenced to imprisonment by the Magistrates’ Court on Monday after they were convicted, following a full trial, of stealing electrical cables, air-conditioning components and science apparatus from a primary school in Labi.
Mohammad Jilani bin Jepari was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment, while Mohammad Denny Suharnny bin Haji Amran was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, after both were found guilty of one count of theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code, read with Section 34 of the same.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Abdul Musawwir Haji Mahli established in court that the offence had occurred at Sekolah Rendah Orang Kaya Pemancha Berandai Bukit Sawat in the early hours of March 6, 2025, when four men travelled together in a vehicle driven by Mohammad Jilani and removed various items from the school. Two of the men had earlier pleaded guilty, leaving Mohammad Jilani and Mohammad Denny to claim trial.
In her written judgment delivered on January 19, Magistrate Nur Eleana Dato Seri Paduka Haji Hairol Arni found that both accused were present at the school and acted in furtherance of a common intention, accepting the evidence of an accomplice witness and rejecting the Defence version of events.
In sentencing, the Magistrate said the offence was aggravated by group involvement, premeditation and the cutting of electrical cables, and further noted that Mohammad Jilani committed the offence while on court bail. His sentence was ordered to run consecutively after another sentence he is currently serving, while Mohammad Denny’s sentence was ordered to run from the date of conviction.
The court also ordered seized tools to be forfeited to the State, with the recovered stolen items and the vehicle used in the offence to be returned to their rightful owners.