Telang Usan Hotel Cannon Thieves Plead Guilty, Jailed Six Months
Three Men Sentenced for Stealing Antique Brass Cannons
KUCHING (June 14): In a significant development at the Magistrates’ Court today, three individuals were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to stealing antique brass cannons from the renowned Telang Usan Hotel earlier this month.
Magistrate Zubaidah Sharkawi handed down the sentence to Chin Jih Yih, Wan Osman Yamani Wan Adruce, and Hilton Jovi Harryson Lily following their admission of guilt under Section 379 of the Penal Code, read with Section 34, which deals with theft.
The trio undertook their illicit act at Telang Usan Hotel, located on Jalan Ban Hock Road, around 2:25 AM on June 5.
According to the case details, the hotel’s vigilant security guard heard suspicious noises outside the premises and immediately conducted a thorough inspection. It was then discovered that two antique brass cannons, integral family heirlooms secured at the hotel’s entrance for the past 34 years, were missing. No perpetrators were initially sighted.
Upon receiving the report, local law enforcement swiftly apprehended Chin, Wan Osman Yamani, and Hilton between June 9 and 11. Through information provided by the culprits themselves, the stolen cannons were successfully recovered from a nearby bush where they had been concealed.
Security camera footage from the hotel corroborated the involvement of the accused in the theft.
ASP Arman Ibrahim prosecuted the case, while the defendants opted to represent themselves in court.
In an earlier interview, Audrey Wan Ullok, the general manager of Telang Usan Hotel, expressed the deep sentimental and historical value these cannons held for the establishment. Belonging to her father, Datuk Stephen Wan Ullok, the antique cannons had been securely bolted to the entrance since the hotel’s inception.