SG PETANI – The magistrates’ court here today sentenced a man to five months in jail for harbouring an offender, Abdul Hamim Ab Hamid, known as “Long Tiger”, who escaped from the Tangkak court in Johor last December.
Magistrate Nurul Ainna Ahmad meted out the punishment to self-employed Rusli Mat, 47, after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
The court ordered Rusli to serve the jail term from the date he was arrested on December 28.
Rusli was charged with harbouring Hamim with the intention of preventing him from being arrested, as the accused knew that the man, who was facing charges at the Tangkak court on December 15, had escaped police custody.
The accused committed the offence at a house at LBS 854A, Kebun Tebu, Jalan Kuala Ketil near here at 3.15pm on December 28.
He was charged under Section 216 of the Penal Code which provides for imprisonment not exceeding three years or with a fine.
Based on the facts of the case, Rusli received a phone call from an unknown number at about 10am on December 18. The individual introduced himself as Hamim and said he wanted to stay temporarily at the accused’s house before fleeing to Indonesia.
At 8.45pm the same night, Hamim arrived at Rusli’s house and stayed there for 11 days where Rusli found out that Hamim was wanted by police for escaping police custody during the trial at the Tangkak court.
Rusli willingly allowed the 33-year-old Rohingya man to hide from police while waiting for an agent to take him to Indonesia.
Deputy public prosecutors Khairul Azreem Mamat and Zulfadzly Hassan appeared for the prosecution while Rusli was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Ruzanna Abdul Rahim. – Bernama, January 9, 2022
