KUCHING, June 5 — A 28-year-old man who stole two Australian Wagyu beef cuts and two salmon trout from a supermarket here was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment and fined RM1,500, in default one month’s jail.

Mohammad Hanim Suita pleaded guilty before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan to a charge under Section 380 of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine upon conviction.

The offence was committed at a supermarket in a shopping centre along Jalan Canna here at about 12.30am on June 1.

Based on the facts of the case, a complainant at the shopping centre noticed a suspicious-looking man, later identified as the accused, leaving the premises.

The complainant, together with a security guard, subsequently apprehended the man on suspicion of stealing items from the supermarket.

Upon inspection, they found several food items believed to have been stolen in the basket of the man’s motorcycle. The accused was then handed over to the police for further action.

In mitigation, the accused pleaded for a fine-only sentence, saying he had stolen the food items to be resold to get medication for his sexually transmitted infection (STI).

However, deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence commensurate with the offence.

The accused was unrepresented. — The Borneo Post