SUNGAI PETANI, Jan 9 — The Magistrate’s Court here today sentenced a man to five months in jail for harbouring an offender, Abdul Hamim Ab Hamid or known as ‘Long Tiger’, who escaped from Tangkak Court, Johor in December last year.

Magistrate Nurul Ainna Ahmad meted out the punishment to self-employed Rusli Mat, 47, after he pleaded guilty to the charges.

The court ordered Rusli to serve the jail term from the date he was arrested on Dec 28, 2021.

Rusli was charged with harbouring Abdul Hamim with the intention of preventing him from being arrested and the accused knew that the man, who was facing charges at the Tangkak Court on Dec 15, had escaped from police custody.

The accused committed the offence at a house at LBS 854A, Kebun Tebu, Jalan Kuala Ketil near here at 3.15pm on Dec 28, 2021.

He was charged under Section 216 of the Penal Code which provides for imprisonment not exceeding three years or with a fine.

Based on the facts of the case, Rusli received a phone call from an unknown number at about 10am on Dec 18 and the individual introduced himself as Abdul Hamim Ab Hamid and said he wanted to stay temporarily at the accused’s house before fleeing to Indonesia.

At 8.45pm the same night, Abdul Hamim arrived at Rusli’s house and stayed at the accused’s house for 11 days where Rusli found out that Abdul Hamim was an individual wanted by the police for escaping from police custody during the trial at Tangkak Court.

Rusli willingly gave permission to the 33-year-old Rohingya man to hide from the police while waiting for an agent to take him to Indonesia.

Deputy public prosecutors Khairul Azreem Mamat and Zulfadzly Hassan appeared for the prosecution while Rusli was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) lawyer Ruzanna Abdul Rahim. — Bernama