Man jailed 8 months for damaging temple altar in Ipoh

2026-03-18 - 09:31

Perak police chief Noor Hisam Nordin said the man was charged in the Ipoh magistrates’ court with defiling a place of worship with intent to insult a religion. (Wikimedia Commons pic) PETALING JAYA: A man was yesterday handed an eight-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to desecrating a Chinese temple’s altar at Sunway City in Ipoh, Perak, last week. Perak police chief Noor Hisam Nordin said the man was charged in the Ipoh magistrates’ court with defiling a place of worship with intent to insult a religion. The charge, framed under Section 295 of the Penal Code, is punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine, or both, upon conviction. In a statement, Noor Hisam said the incident came to light on March 12 after the complainant reported damage to a temple’s altar outside his shop. “CCTV footage found that an unidentified man damaged the altar the previous night,” he said. Police later arrested the suspect, who was believed to have acted alone. Noor Hisam advised the public not to speculate on the case and called on Malaysians to respect the religious sensitivities and properties of others.