SEPANG: The sessions court here today sentenced an Indonesian man to three months’ jail and RM30,000 fine, in default six months’ jail, for attempting to smuggle out 23 white-rumped shama, a protected species, from the country.
Judge Tengku Shahrizam Tuan Lah handed down the sentence on Patrum, 51, who pleaded guilty to having in his possession 23 of the birds without a licence at Gate Q7 of the departure hall at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) here at about 3pm last Oct 5.
He was ordered to serve the jail sentence from the date of his arrest.
All the birds, with two of them dead, were brought to the court today as exhibits. Also produced as exhibit was a cage, specially made from two baskets.
The white-rumped shama, scientifically known as copsychus malabaricus, is a protected species under the First Schedule of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).
In mitigation, Patrum, who entered Malaysia on a tourist visa, said he did not know that it was an offence to bring out the white-rumped shama from the country.
Abd Aziz Mohd Yasin of the Wildlife and National Park Department prosecuted while Patrum was represented by lawyers Zaflee Pakwanteh and Low Henn Kai. — Bernama
