BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

A LOCAL man was jailed for 14 months by the Magistrates’ Court after he was convicted of stealing two cars, one of them left running outside a convenience store.

The defendant, Md Hatral Hazaman Abd Hamid, 38, pleaded not guilty to two counts of theft and pleaded guilty to receiving stolen money.

He was part of a group of three men who went on a car theft spree over three months in 2012.

His accomplices pleaded guilty to seven charges of theft and for dishonestly receiving stolen property.

During the trial, it was disclosed that the defendant, along with an accomplice, stole a running Mitsubishi Lancer from outside a convenience store in Kg Madang.

The car contained personal documents revealing the owner’s address as well as keys to another vehicle he owned.

A month later, the duo made their way to the victim’s home in Lambak Kanan and stole his Mazda.

After the defendant’s arrest, police were able to recover the Mazda but not the Mitsubishi as it had been sold in Miri.

Hatral claimed throughout the trial that he was at home with his family when the thefts occurred.

During sentencing, Senior Magistrate Mohd Faisal said the first theft was due to the owner’s carelessness and that it had led the thieves to eventually making off with the second car.

The magistrate sentenced Md Hatral to 14 months in prison for the first theft and 12 months for the second theft. He was also given one month in prison for receiving $30, which he believed was stolen property.

The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning he will serve a total of 14 months at Jerudong Prison

The Brunei Times