Jail for theft of RM74 in safe box

Kota Kinabalu: A 24-year-old unemployed man was jailed two years and fined RM2,000 or four months jail for stealing a safe box containing RM74 from a saloon.

Mohd Norasreh Norazam pleaded guilty before Magistrate Lovely Natasha Charles to stealing the item belonging to one Melinda Villavito at 3.25am on Oct 13, 2020 at the Saloon 57 Top Image in Warisan Square.

The court heard from the prosecution that the saloon’s owner, who went to the premises to feed the ornamental fish in an aquarium, found the safe box was missing.

Melinda checked the footage of the CCTV and saw a man entering the premises and carted the safe away.

She lodged a police report claiming among others that the man, later identified as Norasreh, was the same man, who stole other things in the same premises before but the man returned them to her.

Norasreh was charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years and liability of a fine on conviction.

Pleading for leniency, Norasreh, who was not represented, said he was unemployed.

The court ordered Norasreh to serve the imprisonment sentence from the date of his arrest on Oct 25, 2020.

In another case, a 30-year-old man was fined RM1,300 or three months jail for having illegal gambling paraphernalia.

Vincent Chua admitted to having four pieces of lottery without a licence at 2.30pm on July 5, 2020 at Sky Mobile shop at Taman Suria in Penampang.

The court was informed by the prosecution that the police also seized RM61, a handphone and a mobile printer from Chua when he was arrested.

Chua had committed an offence under Section 9(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act which provides for a fine of up to RM5,000 or up to six months jail or both on conviction.

Chua requested for a lower fine on the grounds that he was unemployed.

Meanwhile, a self-employed mechanic claimed trial to a charge of dishonestly misappropriation of property.

Liau Sie Ping, 53, who appeared before Magistrate Jessica Ombou Kakayun, was accused of selling an Isuzu D-max for RM30,000 without the knowledge of its owner one Wong Siew Kee and subsequently used the RM30,000 for his own use.

Liau allegedly committed the offence in 2019 at the Unlimited Tunning Centre workshop at Mile 4, Jalan Tuaran.

He was charged under Section 403 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of between six months and five years and whipping and liability of a fine on conviction.

Counsel Lim Ming Zoong @ Lawrence, representing Liau applied for a lower bail on the grounds that he is married with three children and has no fixed income as he is only a self-employed mechanic.

The court set April 26 for pre-trial case management and released Liau on a bail of RM2,000 in two sureties.

Inspectors Kelvan Elson Maik and Albert Basiri prosecuted.