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TWO men were charged in separate Sessions Courts in Ipoh today with five counts of mischief by fire involving petrol bombs and Molotov cocktails thrown at several homes across Perak between March and April this year.
Kok Wan Liang, a 37-year-old deliveryman, pleaded guilty to all charges, while 25-year-old Taiwanese national Lin Jia He claimed trial after the charges were read out in Mandarin.
Under the first two charges, both men were jointly accused of throwing petrol-filled glass bottles at residential properties in Taman Bandar Baru, Kampar, and Kampung Baru Kuala Kuang, Kinta, during the early hours of April 10. Lin also faces an additional charge for a similar offence allegedly committed on March 25 at the same location.
All charges fall under Section 436 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine upon conviction.
Judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamad granted each of the accused bail of RM5,000 per charge, with a Malaysian citizen as surety.
In a separate courtroom, Judge Azizah Ahmad heard three more charges against the pair, which included violations under Section 436 of the Penal Code and Section 29(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015. The charges relate to similar attacks on homes in Panorama Lapangan Perdana and Taman Bandar Baru between April 2 and April 8, one of which resulted in injuries to a Rottweiler.
Kok, who pleaded guilty to all charges, was denied bail by the court, while Lin was granted RM5,000 bail per charge on condition he surrenders his passport.
Deputy public prosecutors S Vitthiyeswary and N M Moganaraj Mithra led the prosecution. Lin was represented by lawyer R R Segaran, while Kok had no legal representation.
Both cases were fixed for mention and document submission on July 23. - May 2, 2025