KUCHING: A young man was fined RM5,000 by the Magistrate’s Court here today for breaking the screen of an automated teller machine (ATM) because he was angry that he could not withdraw RM100.
Accused Julio Patrick, 37, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Zaiton Anuar to a charge under Section 427 of the Penal Code.
Zaiton also sentenced the accused to 10 months’ imprisonment should he fail to pay the fine.
According to the charge, he was accused of treacherously breaking the screen of an ATM belonging to Bank Simpanan Nasional Siburan, causing a loss of RM8,850, at about 12.12 midnight, last June 26.
If convicted, he may be sentenced to not less than one year and not more than five years or a fine or both.
According to the facts of the case, the complainant was a bank employee receiving a call from a customer that an ATM of the bank premises had been broken.
The complainant rushed to the scene to make an inspection and found that one of the screens of the ATM had been broken by a stranger.
Apart from the broken ATM screen, no lost property was found. The complainant lodged a police report for further action.
As a result of the investigation, the accused surrendered to the police station and admitted to breaking the screen of the ATM with his hand and suffered injuries in the meantime.
In addition, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage recorded the accused’s act of breaking the screen of the machine.
The prosecution of the case was handled by Prosecuting Officer Inspector Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
