Man fined RM1,500 for stealing stall owner’s belongings in Kuching

KUCHING (Oct 9): The Magistrates’ Court here today fined a man RM1,500 in default five months in prison for stealing equipment from a stall at a coffee shop.

Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan meted out the fine on Sahdan Alwi, 22, after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 379 of the Penal Code.

The Section provides for up to seven years’ jail or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

Sahdan committed the offence at a coffee shop in Taman Stutong Indah at around 6.15am on Oct 4, 2024.

Based on the facts of the case, the complainant in the case, a 34-year-old female trader, was informed by the coffee shop’s owner that several items stored in her stall were missing and presumed stolen.

The items comprised a digital weighing scale, speaker, lighter, two steel spoons, and an adapter, estimated to be worth RM380 in total.

Following a police report filed by the trader, Sahdan was arrested at around 11.50pm on the same day.

It was informed that the theft was caught on the shop’s closed-circuit television.

Prosecuting was Insp Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin, while the accused was unrepresented by counsel.