MANJUNG, A labourer, who had previously been convicted of multiple similar offenses, was sentenced to 12 months in prison by the Magistrate's Court today for fraudulently deceiving yet another elderly man regarding the eKasih programme. Muhammad Halmi Ismail, 49, pleaded guilty to the charge before Magistrate T. Kavita Tangga Rajoo. Prior to this, he faced 13 charges in the Ipoh Magistrate's Court, two charges in the Lenggong Magistrate's Court, and 18 charges in the Taiping Magistrate's Court, all for similar offenses. He had also pleaded guilty to all these charges and had been sentenced to imprisonment and caning. In today's proceedings, the defendant was accused of committing the offence at a bank in Sitiawan, Manjung District on April 16, to deceive a 70-year-old victim into handing over RM350 for eKasih aid. He was charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. He was represented by lawyer Nurafiqah Abd Aziz. Source: BERNAMA News Agency