KUCHING, Jan 24 — A 29-year-old man was sentenced by the Magistrates’ Court here on Friday to a total of 108 months’ imprisonment for stealing car tyre rims and assisting in the disposal of stolen property.

Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan imposed the sentence on Harry Bisi, who pleaded guilty to 15 charges, of which 14 fell under Section 414 and one under Section 379A(1) of the Penal Code.

Section 414, which criminalises assisting in the disposal of stolen items, carries prison sentence term of up to 7 years, or fine, or both upon conviction.

Where the stolen property involves a motor vehicle or any of its components, the offence is punishable by imprisonment of between six months and seven years, along with a fine.

Section 379A(1) carries an imprisonment term of between one and seven years and a fine upon conviction, for theft of motor vehicle or any of its component.

Under Section 414, Harry admitted to disposing of a total of 25 units of car tyre rims belonging to sports utility vehicles in the Kuching area between August 27 and January 12.

The offences were committed at various times, between 1.45am and 5.15pm, as part of his modus operandi.

According to the facts of the case, Harry was arrested at about 4:40pm on January 12 at the parking area of a gas station along Jalan Tun Jugah.

His arrest followed a police report lodged a day earlier, in which a victim stated that his car tyre rims had been stolen while his vehicle was parked at a market in Kenyalang Park.

Subsequent investigations revealed that Harry was in possession of receipts for the sale of several stolen rims, including those from Kenyalang Park, at a recycling centre along Jalan Chawan, with his name listed as the seller.

He had sold all 25 car tyre rims at the centre, with each unit fetching between RM150 and RM300.

Meanwhile, under Section 379A(1), Harry was convicted of stealing two car tyre rims from an apartment complex along Jalan Durian Burung 2 at about 1.45am on the day of his arrest.

For the offences, the court sentenced him to 99 months’ imprisonment under Section 414 and a further nine months under Section 379A(1), bringing the total jail term to nine years.

It was revealed that Harry has six previous records related to methamphetamine abuse, as well as six other criminal records.

Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Aidil Akmal Sharidan appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented. — The Borneo Post