KUCHING: An elderly man who threatened to kill his fourth wife if she did not give him money was fined RM3,000 on Tuesday.
Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan also ordered that he spend 12 months in prison should he fail to pay the fine.
Ibrahim Samat, 69, from Kampung Melango Baru, Saratok, pleaded guilty to intentionally threatening to kill his 51-year-old wife with a knife.
He committed the offence at their residence in Taman Heng Guan, Jalan Matang-Batu Kawa, around 3pm on May 18.
Ibrahim who is unemployed was charged under Section 506 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to seven years in jail, a fine, or both if convicted.
According to the case facts, the wife was in the living room of their rented house when Ibrahim, in a fit of anger, stormed in.
She was unaware of the reason for his anger and rage.
Ibrahim then demanded money from his wife, but she stated that she was no longer working and had no money.
He then left the house but returned to search for money in a drawer of a dressing table when the wife was in the bathroom.
When she came out, she saw her husband holding a vegetable knife and pointing it at her, threatening to kill her if she did not give him money.
Fearing for her safety, the wife gave him the money he demanded.
The court heard that such incidents had occurred at other times when she refused to give him money, and that he had even hit her before.
Additionally, he was known for his bad temper and addiction to online gambling.
After the incident, the wife and her child left the house and temporarily stayed at her sister’s residence.
A police report was lodged thereafter leading to his arrest near a mosque on Jalan Gambir on May 23.
ASP Arman Ibrahim prosecuted the case.
