{
  "id": 12090399,
  "title": "Magistrate tells red-paint vandal: Find honest work",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/magistrate-tells-red-paint-vandal-find-honest-work",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T06:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/10/1548031/magistrate-tells-red-paint-vandal-find-honest-work"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A 24-year-old man, Tan Ting Sheng, has been advised by a magistrate to seek legitimate employment instead of vandalizing people's property with red paint. The accused pleaded guilty to the crime, which was charged under Section 426 of the Penal Code, carrying a possible five-year jail term, a fine, or both upon conviction.\n\nSharifah Razali, the magistrate, fined Tan RM5,000, with a potential 12 months in jail if he fails to pay. This follows a previous incident where he was fined RM4,000 by another magistrate and sentenced to six months in jail. The charges were framed under the same penal code section.\n\nDuring the hearing, Sharifah advised Tan that there are numerous other jobs available and urged him to consider the consequences of his actions. She emphasized that he has two young daughters and expressed concern that he wouldn't want them married to someone with such a record.\n\nThe magistrate also noted that Tan's act had caused significant distress to the homeowner, forcing them to repaint their house and car, incurring costs much higher than the RM80 paint Tan purchased. Furthermore, Sharifah drew a comparison between Tan's actions and those of loan sharks, or \"Ah Longs,\" in Malaysia.\n\nIn a separate incident, Tan was fined RM4,000 by another magistrate for splashing red paint on the front iron gate and a Honda CR-V belonging to Ng Tee Keat, a 52-year-old man. This incident occurred at No 1544, Jalan Tan Sai Gin, earlier that same day.\n\nTan's defense attorney, Catherine Joysee, from the National Legal Aid Foundation, argued for a minimal fine, citing Tan's unemployment and his responsibility to support his two young children. The court acknowledged his guilty plea, which saved time for the court proceedings.",
  "summary": "BUKIT MERTAJAM: A magistrate today advised a man to seek honest employment to support his family rather than splashing red paint on people's property.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}