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THE High Court has increased the jail sentence of a 67-year-old man convicted of vandalising automated teller machine (ATM) screens at a bank in Jinjang Selatan, ruling that the original punishment imposed by the lower court was below the statutory minimum required under Malaysian law.
Justice Azhar Abdul Hamid ordered that Leong Kuen’s sentence be raised from 10 months to one year after finding that the Magistrate’s Court had erred in law when sentencing him under Section 427 of the Penal Code for committing mischief.
“The minimum sentence for (the offence) under Section 427 of the Penal Code (committing mischief) is one year. But the magistrate gave you a 10-month sentence last month,” he said during proceedings, adding that the court was correcting a sentencing error made at the lower court level.
He further directed that Leong’s jail term be calculated from the date of his arrest on 18 February.
Leong, who was present in the dock, acknowledged the court’s decision, saying he understood the proceedings.
The case stems from an incident on 17 February, when Leong was accused of vandalising five ATM screens at a bank in Jinjang Selatan, causing losses estimated at RM43,271.
He had previously pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate’s Court last month.
Leong also faces separate charges involving alleged vandalism of ATM screens at other banks between 16 and 17 February, with those cases still pending before the courts. - May 4, 2026
