PETALING JAYA: A father’s desperation due to financial constraints lead to him committing theft, according to the 47-year-old man who pled guilty at the Muar Sessions Court on Monday (November 4).
The New Straits Times reported that one of his children was admitted to the hospital, prompting the defendant, Engkapi Anak Keai, to steal a mobile phone from a construction worker in Tangkak, Johor on October 27 at around 2am.
Engkapi also claimed that he tried to borrow money but no one was willing to lend him any.
He then appealed to the court to lessen his sentence.
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Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohammad Arif Marzuki appeared for the prosecution while Engkapi was unrepresented.
According to the facts of the case, Engkapi initially went to look for employment at the construction site but was unsuccessful as there were no vacancies at the time.
On the day of the incident, he went back to the same place - only to steal the mobile phone and sell it off before the victim managed to lodge a report of the theft to the police on the same day.
Following the court’s judgement, Engkapi was sentenced to four years in jail effective from the date of his arrest on October 27 and was imposed a fine of RM1,000 in default of a month in jail.
