PHOTOS of vandalism tend to go viral rapidly, especially when they involve places such as police stations.
Recently, such a photo went viral online; it showed a splash of paint on the wall of the official residence of the Segamat OCPD in Johor and it is claimed that the picture is of a current event.
Is this true?
VERDICT:
FALSE
The viral photo showing a splash of paint at the entrance of the Segamat OCPD’s official residence was actually taken over four months ago.
Segamat OCPD Supt Ahmad Zamry Marinsah said the suspect responsible for splashing yellow paint on his wall has been charged in court and sentenced.
“The photo is real, but the splashing happened in February. The suspect is a 31-year-old local man who was arrested at Taman Perling in Segamat on Feb 5.
“Checks on the suspect revealed that he has three cases in his criminal record related to mischief and robbery. However, he tested negative for drugs,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (June 18).
Supt Ahmad Zamry added that the suspect was charged at the Segamat Magistrate's Court on Feb 6.
“He was sentenced to six months jail after failing to pay a RM2,500 fine,” he said.
He added that the man is currently a restricted resident under the Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) 1959 in Lepar, Pekan in Pahang for a year-long period starting from June 6.
Supt Ahmad Zamry said the suspect claimed that he committed the act after hearing ‘voices’, believed to be hallucinations.
“He claimed that the whispers told him that the police were after him for a drug case, which led him to carry out the act.
“Initially, he wanted to throw the paint at the Segamat police headquarters. However, he later changed his mind after seeing police presence at the guard post and decided to attack the official residence instead,” he said.
