Thursday January 17, 2013

Court enhances IT-savvy thief’s jail term

By SIMREN KAUR
simren@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: A man who admitted stealing three smartphones, an iPad and a notebook from victims he found through trading website mudah.my had his jail term enhanced following his appeal to a High Court.

Mohd Yunus Jan Muhammad, 27, was appealing against his consecutive jail term of five years by a magistrate’s court in Bukit Mertajam on Oct 1 last year.

That court had sentenced him to one year’s jail and RM2,000 fine for each of the five charges that he had pleaded guilty to.

Yesterday, High Court Judicial Commissioner Mohd Amin Firdaus Abdullah set aside the magistrate’s sentences and enhanced Mohd Yunus’ jail term to a total of seven-and-a-half years but reduced his fine to RM2,000. He also imposed whipping.

Amin Firdaus said the case was of public interest as Mohd Yunus had found his victims via the trading website, and met with them under the pretext of wanting to purchase the items.

“He also repeated the offence many times,” he said.

Mohd Yunus admitted committing the first four offences in Seberang Jaya and the last one in Bukit Mertajam, central Seberang Prai, last year.

He admitted stealing a Samsung Galaxy S3 from Gooi Ming Zhen, 24, on June 26; a Sony Xperia from Muhammad Anas Omar, 20, on July 6; an Acer notebook from Zurida Shafie, 22, on May 3; an iPad from Muhammad Haniff Muhamad, 21, on July 27; and an iPhone 4 from Muhammad Hadzree Rosani, 18, on Sept 10.

Amin Firdaus ordered Mohd Yunus to be jailed 18 months and fined RM2,000 in default three months’ jail for the first charge, and 18 months’ jail and one stroke of the rotan for each of the other four charges.

He ordered the jail terms to run consecutively.

DPP Pang Chuin Keat prosecuted while Mohd Yunus was unrepresented.

News

Thursday January 17, 2013

Court enhances IT-savvy thief’s jail term

By SIMREN KAUR simren@thestar.com.my

By SIMREN KAUR
simren@thestar.com.my