The high court here today sentenced a 68-year-old contractor to four years' imprisonment after finding him guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the fatal shooting of a suspected thief at jalan ulu sieu bakong:ear-old contractor to four years' imprisonment after finding him guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the fatal shooting of a suspected thief at Jalan Ulu Sieu Bakong, Meradong in April 2023. Justice Wong Siong Tung convicted Tang Kee Tan under Section 304(b) of the Penal Code for causing the death of Wong Soon Guan, 40.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Tang was also sentenced to one year's jail under Section 37 of the Arms Act 1960 for discharging a firearm and injuring another man, Wong Soon Wuong, 30, in the same incident. The court ordered both sentences to run concurrently from the date of Tang's arrest on April 5, 2023.

Justice Wong, while delivering the sentence, highlighted that the loss of human life and the use of a firearm significantly increased the seriousness of the offence. However, the court considered that Tang believed his property was being stolen, the events occurred in darkness, and the act was not premeditated.

Tang had initially faced a charge of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code for the incident on April 5, 2023, at the roadside of Ulu Sieu Bakong, Meradong, Bintangor. After reviewing testimonies and submissions, the court found Tang guilty of the lesser offence under Section 304(b), which pertains to culpable homicide committed with knowledge that the act is likely to cause death but without the intention to cause death.

During mitigation, defence counsel Rosli Gapor argued that Tang, a first offender, had overstepped his right of private defence in an attempt to protect his property. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mark Kenneth Netto sought a severe custodial sentence, emphasizing that Tang fired a licensed shotgun three times at the victims, who were attempting to flee, resulting in one death and serious injuries to the other.

Netto argued for a strong sentence to reflect the gravity of the offences, acknowledge the loss of life, and serve as a deterrent against the misuse of licensed firearms and vigilantism.