Man fined RM3,000 for buying stolen handphone

KOTA KINABALU: A 27-yearold man who bought a stolen handphone for RM200 was fined RM3,000, in default, eight months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday.

Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie imposed the fine on Mohammad Faizal Porsin after he admitted to possessing the stolen Samsung S7 Edge smartphone.

He was arrested for the offence along Lorong Sempelang, at Kampung Tanjung Aru here at 4pm on January 3.

The offence was framed under Section 411 of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to five years or with a fine or both, upon conviction.

The facts of the case stated that a complainant had lodged a police report regarding theft at his house along Jalan Datuk Willie, Tanjung Aru here on December 17, 2018.

It was reported that two handphones, including the Samsung S7 Edge and RM700 cash, which were placed in the master bedroom of the house, had gone missing.

Furthermore, he had noticed that a window at a toilet and a door of the house were wide open. However, there was no CCTV recording nor eye witnesses at that time.

During an investigation, a man, who was later known as the accused, was arrested on January 3, along with the Samsung S7 Edge smartphone which was found on him.

The accused admitted to having bought the handphone from a man named Palai, who is still at large, for RM200, while the handphone was recognized by the complainant.

Prosecuting officer Inspector Suzie @ Stephanie Kupit prosecuted while the accused was not represented.