31-Year-Old To Pay For Stolen Chocolate With 6 Months Jail Time And Rotan Strokes
Desperate times call for desperate measures...
By Rohini Rajaratnam — 06 Aug 2015, 06:48 PM
What is a sale? A sale is usually the exchange of a commodity for money or service in return for money
Circumstances however were slightly different for this ex-convict who was just released two weeks ago for drug possession, as he now has to pay 6 months imprisonment with 2 cane strokes for 12 bars of chocolate
31-year-old, Zaihairi Don, was caught stealing approximately 12 chocolate Cadbury bars worth RM107 from Cold Storage in Berjaya Times Square at 10.30am on Tuesday
Overwhelmed by his sheer desperation for cigarettes and food, coupled with an unemployment status, Zaihairi believes he had no way out but to commit such a crime
Before sentencing, magistrate Ashraf Rezal Abdul Manan asked why he stole the confectionaries.
Zaihairi claimed to have stolen out of desperation to buy cigarettes and food. The unrepresented man also pleaded for a lesser sentence, saying he was still looking for a house and a job.
"Why a house before a job? And yet you steal, which also hasn't gotten you a house," said Ashraf Rezal.
But before you start condemning the hefty sentencing, it should be noted that Zaihairi had not only been jailed for drug possession before but also for stealing a laptop in 2014
"While theft of food can be given a nominal sentence, a history of stealing means the court has to consider a heavier sentence," said the magistrate.
Section 380 of the Penal Code which deals with theft provides offenders imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine. However, repeated offences allows the court to impose whipping.
Ashraf Rezal handed down a sentence then of six months prison and two strokes of the cane for Zaihairi.