KUCHING: A man was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment by the Magistrates’ Court here today for stealing a cellphone belonging to a teacher last month.
Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan handed down the sentence against 31-year-old Arif Firdaus Sarbini after he pleaded guilty to committing the offence under Section 380 of the Penal Code,
The offence carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a possible fine upon conviction.
The court ordered the imprisonment to commence from the date of conviction today.
According to the case facts, the offence took place on Apr 13 at about 12.40 pm in front of the administrative office of a secondary school near Jalan Depo.
The complainant, a 49 year old teacher, discovered that her laptop sling bag, which had been placed on a chair together with important documents, had gone missing.
The estimated losses were valued at RM3,310.
Following an investigation under Ops Kesan, a team from the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of Kuching police headquarters (IPD) arrested the accused on Apr 15 at about 12.30 pm at a house in Kampung Samariang Jaya Phase 2, Petra Jaya.
Police also seized several items during the arrest, including a black sling bag, a rose gold iPhone, a security guard card, a temporary document and a black-and-red folding knife.
Investigations revealed that the complainant positively identified the seized items as belonging to her, while CCTV footage from the school showed the accused committing the theft.
The court was told that the accused was arrested together with the stolen items, leading police to conclude that sufficient evidence existed to charge him under Section 380 of the Penal Code.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Afiq Nor Kazly prosecuted.
The accused were unrepresented.
