KUCHING: An unemployed man, Delbanie, 29, from Kampung Sebuluh, Bau, was fined RM10,800, in default 25 months in prison, by the Magistrates’ Court here on Friday (Feb 2) for stealing manhole covers from several petrol stations last January.
Delbanie pleaded guilty to five charges read before three different magistrates.
According to the charges, he stole six manhole covers belonging to various petrol stations, namely one unit on Jalan Green, four units on Jalan Tun Abdul Rahman Yaakub, and two units on Jalan Kulas between noon and 3.18pm on Jan 6 and 10.
He was charged under Section 379 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of imprisonment up to seven years or a fine or both if convicted.
Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan imposed a fine of RM4,300 or 13 months in prison for the first and second charges faced by Delbanie.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali imposed a fine of RM2,000 or three months in prison for the third charge.
In addition, Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali imposed a fine of RM2,500 or five months in prison for Delbanie’s fourth charge.
For the fifth charge, he was accused of disposing of stolen property, namely four manhole covers, by selling the items to a recycling premises on Jalan Pending on Jan 10.
Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah imposed a fine of RM2,000 or four months in prison on the accused for the offence of disposing of stolen property.
The complainant for all the cases involved is an employee at the petrol station who reported the loss of the company’s manhole covers to the police.
Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage revealed a man lifting the iron covers and placing them into a sedan, and in another incident, using a motorcycle during the theft.
He sold the stolen items to a recycling materials buying premises on Jalan Pending, which eventually led to his arrest by the police on Jan 26.
The prosecution of the case was handled by three different prosecuting officers, namely Inspector Ammarsoffi Yusoff, Inspector Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin, and Inspector Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang.
