KUCHING: A 43-year-old woman was sentenced by the Magistrates’ Courts here today to a total of eight months’ imprisonment and fined RM6,600 for four separate theft-related offences involving retail outlets in Kuching.
The accused, Azila Ramli, pleaded guilty to all four charges before Magistrates Ling Hui Chuan and Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali.
Before Ling, Azila was first fined RM3,000, in default six months’ imprisonment, after pleading guilty to dishonestly retaining a stolen black Adidas long-sleeved sweater worth RM199 belonging to a sportswear outlet at Vivacity Megamall on February 7, 2023.
She was charged under Section 411 of the Penal Code for retaining stolen property knowing it to be stolen.
According to the facts of the case, staff from a Uniqlo outlet detained Azila for allegedly stealing merchandise before discovering the Adidas sweater from the sports-wear outlet in her bag.
She failed to produce a purchase receipt when confronted, prompting the store manager to lodge a police report. Investigations later confirmed the item had been stolen.
Court documents also revealed that Azila had several previous criminal records, including theft-related offences under Sections 379 and 380 of the Penal Code, as well as drug-related offences.
In a separate case before the same magistrate, Azila was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment from the date of conviction after admitting to stealing three speakers worth RM4,297 from a gadget shop at Vivacity Megamall on June 20 this year.
The stolen items comprised a Vinnfier Tango XT310 speaker, a Vinnfier Tango XT9000 WMU speaker, and a JBL Boombox 3.
She committed the offence with another individual who remains at large.
Police investigations, supported by closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, identified Azila as one of the suspects involved in the theft.
She was arrested on July 4 in Kampung Samariang Batu, where a urine screening also returned positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine.
Ling also sentenced Azila to three months’ imprisonment and imposed a RM1,600 fine, in default one month’s imprisonment, after she pleaded guilty to stealing a pair of Adidas tracksuit pants worth RM209 from the a clothing outlet at Vivacity Megamall on July 9, 2022.
Investigations found CCTV footage clearly captured Azila taking the tracksuit pants from the display area before leaving the premises without making payment.
Meanwhile, before Nursyaheeqa, Azila was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment and fined RM2,000, in default two months’ imprisonment, after admitting to stealing cosmetic products worth about RM1,000 from a health and beauty outlet at Emart Tabuan Jaya on June 20 this year.
The stolen items included Skintific skincare products and Maybelline cosmetics comprising serum, toner, moisturisers, lipsticks, mascaras, foundation, setting spray, eyebrow products, and baby cushion compacts.
The offence was also committed with another suspect who is still at large, with CCTV footage linking Azila to the theft.
All the offences were prosecuted under Section 380 of the Penal Code, except for the first charge, which was brought under Section 411 of the Penal Code.
The prosecution in the cases was conducted by Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly and Muhammad Aidil Akmal Sharidan, while Azila were unrepresented.
