MUAR: A tile installer was sentenced to prison after failing to pay a RM2,500 fine imposed by the magistrate's court today for stealing a 16-year-old girl's underwear on Saturday (Aug 17).
Kh'ng Poh Siang, 30, who has a previous theft-related conviction, pleaded guilty when the charge was read before magistrate Suzana Mokhtar.
Kh'ng was accused of stealing the underwear from the teenager at a house on Jalan Haji Jabbar at 4.30am that Saturday.
He was charged under Section 379 of the Penal Code, which provides for a penalty of up to seven years in prison, a fine, or both, with additional penalties for repeat offenders.
The victim's brother-in-law spotted a man breaking into their home and, after reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, identified Kh'ng as the culprit who stole the underwear.
Police later arrested Kh'ng at a rental house on Jalan Lama, where they discovered a stash of stolen underwear.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Arif Marzuki managed the prosecution, while Kh'ng was represented by Tan Xi Ran from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
The prosecution said Kh'ng had a prior conviction for theft under Section 380 of the Penal Code in 2019.
"Given the accused's record, we request that the court impose a suitable punishment," said Mohamad Arif.
The court fined Kh'ng RM2,500 and ordered a five-month prison sentence if the fine was not paid.