KUCHING: A 33-year-old man was sentenced to 12 years and 2 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in the Session court today.
The accused Rizam Zawawi, was given three charges involving arson and theft at two supermarkets in Kota Sentosa and Batu Kawa last month.
On the first charge, the accused was found guilty of setting fire to shelves and tissue products at a supermarket in Kota Sentosa, Jalan Penrissen on August 17 at about 3 pm. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment under Section 435 of the Penal Code.
For the second charge, he was convicted under the same section for attempting to burn toilet tissue and disposable diapers at a Batu Kawa supermarket on August 21 at about 8.30 pm. He received a further seven years’ imprisonment, to run consecutively.
On the third charge, he admitted to stealing 12 bottles of 1.5-litre Coca-Cola from the same Batu Kawa supermarket on the same day and time. He was sentenced to two months’ jail under Section 380 of the Penal Code, to run concurrently with the second sentence.
He was arrested on August 25 at about 2 pm by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Padawan District Police Headquarters.
The case was heard before Sessions Court Judge Musli Hamid.
Sarawak CID commented that this arrest shows their commitment to act swiftly against those who threaten public safety and commit destructive acts, adding that public cooperation has been crucial in bringing the suspect to justice.
By Connie Chieng