MELAKA: A factory worker has been sentenced to a week in prison and fined RM2,000 by the Ayer Keroh magistrate's court today after pleading guilty to stealing gold threads belonging to a factory, which was also his former workplace, last September.
Magistrate Khairunnisak Hassni imposed the sentence after receiving the guilty plea and convicting the accused, Muhammad Shahrul Helmi Ramli, 34, on the charge.
According to the charge, Muhammad Shahrul Helmi, employed as a production operator at the factory, Kilang Dominant (at the time of the incident), was found guilty of stealing gold threads valued at RM4,000 from the factory on Sept 10, around 6pm.
He was charged under Section 381 of the Penal Code, which, if convicted, carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment and a fine.
According to the case facts, on Sept 12 at 12.19 noon, the factory executive, who was the complainant, reported the loss of gold threads on one of the factory's production machines to the police.
Acting on information from a team of officers and members from the Melaka Tengah Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Department, the accused was arrested on Dec 19 at 9.48pm.
The investigation found that the accused was a former employee of Kilang Dominant who had resigned immediately after the incident was reported to the police. This was corroborated by closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage in the factory, which recorded his criminal actions.
The lawyer from the National Legal Aid Foundation, Muhammad Izzuddin Ab Malek, appealed for a lenient prison sentence for the accused, citing his remorse and commitment not to repeat the offence.
He stated that the accused is currently working on a contract basis at a factory in Alor Gajah.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Ehsan Nasarudin, however, requested a commensurate penalty.
The court then sentenced the accused to a week in prison starting from the date of arrest on Dec 19 and imposed a fine of RM2,000, with a default of two months' imprisonment.