The High Court increased the jail term of 67-year-old Leong Kuen to one year for vandalising five ATM screens at a bank in Jinjang Selatan, overturning the Magistrate’s Court’s 10-month sentence. Justice Azhar Abdul Hamid ruled that the Magistrate’s Court had erred in law in imposing the lesser sentence, stating, "The minimum sentence for (the offence) under Section 427 of the Penal Code (committing mischief) is one year. But the magistrate gave you a 10-month sentence last month" [1].
The vandalism caused an estimated RM43,271 in damage. The incident at the Jinjang Selatan bank occurred on February 17, following alleged related vandalism at other banks on February 16, according to court records [1]. The High Court ordered that Leong’s jail term be calculated from the date of his arrest on February 18 [1].
Leong faces separate pending charges over similar alleged vandalism of ATM screens at other banks between February 16 and 17 [1].
The case was reported on May 4 after the High Court ruling, signalling a tougher stance on vandalism cases carrying minimum sentences under the law [1].
