KAMPAR, Aug 10 — The magistrate’s court here sentenced two men to 46 months’ jail for housebreaking and stealing, while another two were fined RM10,000 each for disposing of stolen goods last year.

Magistrate Nur Faizah Muhamad Salem sentenced M. Vickneswaran, 26, and K. Devaraj, 26, to jail and fined R. Siva Nesan, 24, and R. Muraly, 43 for theft involving losses up to RM500,000.

All four were also fined RM500 each for prosecution cost, failing which they will be jailed an additional two months.

Vickneswaran and Devaraj were charged with breaking into a house belonging to one Leong Wei Hai, 36, and with stealing a safe box containing gold at Mambang Diawan here between Jan 7 and 8 last year from 3.30pm to 7.45am.

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They were charged under Section 457 of the Penal Code, which provides imprisonment up to five years and fine. If the offence includes theft, the jail term could be extended to 14 years and the repeat offence also carries fine or whipping.

Siva Nesan was charged with deliberately disposing of a stolen safe box belonging to Goh Sau Fong, 61, into a fish pond in Kampung Dermawan near Tapah between Jan 8 and March 3 last year at around 7.45am to 11.45am.

Muraly was charged with deliberately disposing of a 4.44-gramme gold necklace at a pawn shop here at about 1.24pm on Jan 18 last year.

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Both were charged under Section 414 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of seven years or fine or both.

Nur Faizah made the decision at the end of the defence case after finding the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt for all the charges.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kenneth Oon Kork Chern prosecuted while Vickneswaran was represented by K. Murthia, Devaraj was represented by CS Thiviyah, Siva Nesan was represented by Baldip Singh and Muraly was represented by Jagdave Singh.

A total of 18 witnesses were called by the prosecution while the defence did not offer any witnesses.

After the sentence, the defence applied to the court for a stay in sentencing pending appeal in the Ipoh High Court, but it was rejected by Nur Faizah.

The four were initially charged under Section 457 of the Penal Code for house breaking in the same court on March 9 last year.

However, the court on May 25 this year amended the charge for Siva Nesan and Muraly to Section 414 of the Code for disposing stolen goods.