KUCHING: Two friends were each sentenced to four months in prison by the Magistrates’ Court for obstructing police duties during Operation Lejang.
The incident involved them driving their vehicle against the flow of traffic in an attempt to evade arrest on Monday (Aug 14).
Ariffin Aini, 28, and Muhammad Ridzuan Sam Abdullah, 29, pleaded guilty to a jointly read charge before Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali.
The charge was made under Section 186 of the Penal Code and jointly read under the same Section 34 of the Code. The potential punishment for this offence includes imprisonment for up to two years, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both.
The incident took place on the roadside near a building in Jalan Lapangan Terbang at around 2am.
According to the case details, during a police operation, the defendants accelerated their Proton Wira car against oncoming traffic while attempting to escape arrest. After a 15-minute chase, the police managed to apprehend both individuals, while a third companion managed to escape.
During a subsequent inspection of the vehicle, a meat cleaver was discovered near the front passenger door, suspected to be intended for criminal activities. As a result, both defendants were arrested, and the related items, including the vehicle and the weapon, were seized for further investigation.
In a separate session at the Sessions Court, Judge Saiful Bahari Adzmi ordered Ariffin to maintain good behaviour for two years. He was granted bail of RM8,000 without the need for a deposit and with a local guarantor.
Ariffin pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous weapon without a lawful purpose, as charged under Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958. The weapon in question was a sharp-edged meat cleaver found in the car during the incident.
The prosecution for the case was carried out by deputy public prosecutor Danial Mohamad Ali and prosecution officer Inspector Mohd Adzmei Ahmad.
