KUCHING: An unemployed man was sentenced to five months in jail by the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday for beating up his ex-girlfriend over her failure to pay the balance of RM390 owed to him.
Accused Hamid, 42, pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 323 of the Penal Code which was read before Magistrate Zaiton Anuar.
According to the charge sheet, he was accused of intentionally inflicting pain on the 40-year-old victim by punching the victim with his right hand.
He acted as such at a house in Kampung Bintawa here at around 9pm last July 20.
Upon conviction, he can be jailed for up to one year or fined up to RM2,000 or both.
According to the facts of the case, during the incident, the complainant went to the accused’s house because she was asked to clear the balance of her debt amounting to RM390 immediately because he needed money.
However, the complainant asked to be given some time to settle the debt because she was facing financial problems.
Enraged when he did not receive the requested money, the accused acted aggressively and punched the victim despite being stopped by his mother.
As a result of the incident, the complainant suffered pain and bruises on her face, hands and calves.
The complainant then made a police report for action and further investigation led to the arrest of the accused three days after the incident.
The prosecution of the case was handled by Prosecuting Officer Inspector Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
