PETALING JAYA, Feb 22 — An unemployed man who dressed up like a woman and entered a woman’s surau at a shopping centre here was sentenced to eight months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court here today for stealing a purse belonging to a woman who was praying in the surau.

Magistrate Atiqah Abd Karim@Husaini handed down the sentence on Mohamad Firdaus Abdullah, 21, who pleaded guilty to the charge.

The man, whose woman image went viral following the incident, pleaded guilty to stealing the purse belonging to Nur Damia Syahirah Rany, 22, at the woman’s surau of the Sunway Pyramid shopping centre at Bandar Sunway here at 9.40pm last February 18.

The purse contained her identity card, a condominium access card, bank cards, a handphone and RM408.30.

Mohamad Firdaus, who was released from prison two weeks ago for a similar offence, was ordered to serve the sentence from today.

In mitigation, Mohamad Firdaus, who was unrepresented, said he was an orphan and had no other family members.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nurul Ilyani Mohd Tamam. — Bernama