Habitual offender jailed 74 months for motorcycle, bonsai plant thefts

KUCHING (March 9): A 32-year-old habitual offender was sentenced to a total of 74 months’ imprisonment and fined RM3,500, in default seven months’ imprisonment, for stealing motorcycles and a bonsai plant, as well as for disposing of a component from a stolen motorcycle.

Mohamad Jalil Sidek Bakar pleaded guilty to a total of five charges under the Penal Code.

Senior assistant registrar Abdurrahman Abrar Jarni, Magistrates Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali and Ling Hui Chuan convicted him separately under Sections 379A, 379A(1) read together with Section 34, Section 379 and Section 414.

He was sentenced to a total of two years and 10 months’ imprisonment under Section 379A. For another offence under Section 379A(1), he was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment and fined RM3,000, in default six months’ imprisonment.

He also received six months’ imprisonment under Section 379 and 10 months’ imprisonment under Section 414, along with a RM500 fine, in default one month’s imprisonment.

All the offences were committed at different times in Kuching between Dec 17 last year and Feb 28 this year.

Facts of the case revealed that on Jan 16, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage captured the accused together with an accomplice who remains at large, stealing a blue Honda Wave motorcycle parked behind a hotel along Jalan Simpang Tiga.

Two days later, CCTV footage again showed them stealing a light brown Yamaha Y15R motorcycle along Jalan Padungan.

On Feb 28, CCTV footage recorded the accused stealing a bonsai plant from a house at Jalan Desa Wira, where he was seen using a blue Yamaha Ego Avantis motorcycle that had been reported stolen last December.

Investigations also uncovered a sales receipt dated Jan 10 from a hardware premises for motorcycle components believed to have been stolen.

The accused also has 19 previous convictions under various provisions of the Penal Code and the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutors Chuah Kai Sheng, Ahmad Fauzulutfi Suriani and Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly.