KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — A 55-year-old Chinese national was fined RM3,000 today after pleading guilty to attempting to steal a wallet from a man’s backpack at Penang International Airport last week, Harian Metro reported.
Chen Bangjun entered the plea at the Magistrate’s Court in Balik Pulau after the charge was read to him in Mandarin before Magistrate Chia Huey Ting.
According to the charge, Chen attempted to steal the wallet from a man’s backpack at the airport in Bayan Lepas between 9.25am and 10am on September 17.
He was charged under Section 379 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 511, which covers attempts to commit offences.
Section 379 provides for a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both upon conviction for theft.
Under Section 511, the jail term for an attempted offence may not exceed half the maximum imprisonment prescribed for the offence.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Sofi Jaafar urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence as a deterrent.
Defence lawyer Teh Yi Kai appealed for a lighter sentence, saying Chen was unemployed and had expressed remorse after spending nine days in remand.
“As this was an attempted theft, no actual loss was reported, and the accused admitted that he acted out of greed,” Teh told the court.
The court fined Chen RM3,000, in default of which he would serve three months in prison.
