Fadley Faisal

The Magistrate’s Court handed a two months’ jail sentence to a 35-year-old local man after being found guilty in a trial on a charge of trespass recently.

Raduan bin Japar was convicted of committing house-trespass at the former Criminal Investigation Department building in Jalan Ong Sum Ping.

The prosecution’s case stated that a security site team at the Armada Properties in Jalan Ong Sum Ping had been informed by a Koperasi Rimbun Berhad (KOPRI) security guard that a man was seen walking into an abandoned bungalow at 4.10pm on July 17, 2019 near the Armada Properties.

Upon learning this, the security guard kept an eye on the Block C building belonging to the Royal Brunei Police Force.

A few minutes later, he saw a man walking from the abandoned bungalow into the Block C building.

He knew that the building was uninhabited and lodged a police report.

Police arrived leading to the defendant’s arrest on the fifth floor of the building.

It was also revealed that the defendant was playing snooker in Kiulap with his friends on the night of July 16, 2019.

He walked to Gadong, bought 12 cans of alcoholic drinks and got drunk.

He proceeded to walk from Gadong to Ong Sum Ping and met another friend.

Both of them went into the Block C building where the defendant slept on the upper floor of the building until he was arrested the following day.

The court found that the prosecution, after having produced witnesses, had proven the case beyond the court’s reasonable doubt.

In his defence, the defendant claimed that he was under the influence of alcohol and did not know he was trespassing into the building. He also said that he stopped to rest and that he was facing financial difficulties and having family problems.

The prosecution submitted that the defendant’s claims are not a defence.

The court agreed with the prosecution and upon having no reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case, convicted the defendant.

Magistrate Mohammad Marzuqi bin Sabtu presided over the case.Deputy Public Prosecutor Sabrina binti Haji Mahmud appeared on behalf of the Public Prosecutor.