KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — A man has been sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to desecrating a Chinese temple altar in Sunway City, Ipoh, last week.
Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin confirmed the sentencing in a statement today.
He said the man was charged in the Ipoh Magistrates’ Court yesterday under Section 295 of the Penal Code for deliberately defiling a place of worship with intent to insult a religion.
The case began when a local man filed a police report on the morning of March 12 after discovering that a temple altar in front of his shop had been damaged.
“A review of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage found that an unidentified man had acted to damage the said temple on the previous night,” Noor Hisam said.
Acting on the information, police arrested a local suspect who they believe acted alone in the incident.
Noor Hisam also advised the public not to speculate on the case and urged the community to respect religious sensitivities and the property of others.
