Kota Kinabalu: A 29-year-old man was on Thursday jailed eight years and fined RM1,000 or six months’ jail by the Sessions Court here for breaking into a restaurant with intent to steal.
Ag Ridjan Ag Johan pleaded guilty before Judge Hurman Hussain to committing housebreaking at Mamasita Mexican Restaurant & Tapas Bar in Jalan Dewan, here, at 8.10am on Sept 2.
Ag Ridjan was charged under Section 457 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to 14 years, with whipping or a fine for repeat offenders, on conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Fazriel Fardiansyah in tendering the facts of the case, informed the court that the restaurant owner, Brandon Lincoln Young discovered the break-in around 8.45am that day and lodged a police report.
The court was told the rear gate of the premises had been cut open and the back door forced.
CCTV footage later showed Ag Ridjan inside the restaurant, taking cash, at 8.10am.
Later the same afternoon, at 4.50pm, police arrested Ag Ridjan at Sembulan Lama, here.
A body search uncovered stolen items from the restaurant in his possession, which were positively identified by the complainant.
Ag Ridjan’s clothing at the time of arrest also matched what he had worn in the CCTV recording.
Unrepresented, Ag Ridjan requested a lenient sentence.
DPP Fazriel applied a deterrent sentence.
The court ordered Ag Ridjan to serve the jail term from the date of his arrest.
