Mohd Zahazan Zainon, 45, was also sentenced to two strokes of the rotan after he pleaded guilty to the offences at the Kota Tinggi magistrates’ court today.
In claims that have gone viral on social media, Zahazan, who is based in Pengerang in Johor, alleged that 14 family members – his wife, eight children, mother, sister, brother-in-law and their two children – had succumbed to the virus between June last year and this month.
Police previously said they believed Zahazan had received RM91,000 in donations as a result of the false claims.
According to a Berita Harian report, magistrate Nurmadiana Mamat passed the sentence on Zahazan after he pleaded guilty to two charges framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating – which provides for a jail term of up to 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Based on the charge sheet, he was accused of deceiving a colleague by falsely telling him that his family members had died from Covid-19. The colleague was induced to deposit RM7,857 into Zahazan’s bank account as a donation.
He was also charged with deceiving another colleague by also falsely telling him that his family members died from Covid-19, with the colleague then depositing RM500 into the bank account as a donation.
Zahazan was charged with committing both offences between 5.20pm and 9.25pm at the Pengerang Integrated Complex Security Division Office on Sept 3.
For the first charge, Zahazan was sentenced to three years in jail from the date of his arrest and one stroke of the cane. He was also fined RM15,000 or imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.
For the second charge, he was sentenced to one year in jail from the date of his arrest and one stroke of the cane. He was also fined RM1,000 or imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.
The court ordered both sentences to run concurrently.
Earlier, Zahazan’s lawyer, Nurul Hidayah Mohd Asri, applied for a lighter sentence on the grounds that it was Zahazan’s first offence and he had to support four children from a previous marriage as well as his two children who are attending a tahfiz school.
However, deputy public prosecutor Nursyamim Fateha Mohd Amin applied for a heavier sentence, telling the court that it should take into account public interest in the case.