KUCHING: A mechanic was fined RM5,000, in default six months’ imprisonment, on Friday (June 28) by the Sessions Court here for trespassing into the Dered Krian National Park, Bau.
Kitcarson Kitson, 28, from Serian, pleaded guilty to a charge read before Judge Iris Awen Jon.
According to the charge, he committed the offence at around 3.30pm on Nov 29, 2021.
He was charged under Section 26(a) of the National Parks and Nature Reserves Ordinance 1998 (Chapter 27) and is punishable under Section 32(a) of the same ordinance.
Based on the facts of the case, on the day of the incident, a team of Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) officers was conducting a routine patrol in the national park.
During the patrol, they encountered the defendant in a suspicious manner, riding a motorcycle.
When asked by the authorities about his presence in the national park, the defendant failed to produce any valid authorisation to enter the area.
Thus, the defendant committed the offence of trespassing into the national park without valid permission.
It is understood that the defendant trespassed into the protected area with the intention of digging for gold.
The case was prosecuted by deputy public prosecutor Roland Felix Hardin and prosecuting officer Leonard Baring, while the defendant was not represented by a lawyer.
