KOTA KINABALU: Twomen succeeded in thei rappeals for the reduction oftheir jail terms, for dealingwith illegal slot machines,when the High Court heresubstituted their 20 months’jail imposed by a lower courtto seven months.
Judge Datuk David WongDak Wah yesterday reducedthe 20 months’ jail which thetwo appellants, Mohd SyukriFahmi, 19, and Sidrekal,22, had to serve after theyeach failed to pay the fi ne ofRM150,000.
The courth we ve raffirmed the sentence of twoyears’ jail imposed on the duoby the Magistrates’ Courthere four months ago.
Insubstituting sentence, Wongheld that the two appellantswere not the owners of thepremises where the illegalactivity was conducted.
Wong said Syukri andSidrekal were mere workerson the premises and in theprovision, the fi ne should beimposed on the owner.
He further said, underthe provision, the defaultsentence should not be morethan 15 months.
On May 7 this year, theMagistrates’ Court jailedMohd Syukri and Sidrekalfor two years and fi ned themRM150,000 each, in default20 months’ jail, after theypleaded guilty to dealing with15 illegal slot machines.
The magistrate fi ned themthe minimum RM10,0 0 0for each slot machine,making up a grand total ofRM150,000.
They were charged underSection 4B(a) of the CommonGaming House Act 1953which carries a fine of notless than RM10,000 and notmore than RM100,000 foreach machine and a jailterm of up to fi ve years, uponconviction.