KUCHING: A satay seller was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment and fined RM1,500 by the Magistrates’ Court today after pleading guilty to stealing wagyu beef and salmon trout from a supermarket in Tabuan Jaya on the eve of Gawai Day.
The 28-year-old man from Kota Samarahan admitted to a charge under Section 380 of the Penal Code before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan.
He was accused of stealing two pieces of wagyu beef and two cuts of trout salmon weighing about 200 grammes from a leading 24-hour supermarket in Tabuan Jaya at about 12.30am on June 1.
The court also ordered him to serve an additional one month in prison if he fails to pay the fine.
According to the facts of the case, the complainant, a supermarket employee, together with a security guard, detained the suspect after noticing suspicious behaviour near the store’s exit.
A subsequent inspection uncovered several fresh food items in the basket of the suspect’s motorcycle.
A police report was lodged and the accused was handed over to officers at the scene.
Investigations later confirmed that he had stolen the wagyu beef and trout salmon from the supermarket.
During mitigation, the accused appealed for a lighter sentence and requested that only a fine be imposed.
He told the court that he resorted to theft because he needed money for treatment for a genital condition.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence as a deterrent.
The accused was not represented by counsel.
