Court acquits labourer charged with retaining stolen motorcycle

KUCHING: A labourer walked free from the magistrate’s court here yesterday after he was discharged and acquitted from a charge of retaining a stolen motorcycle.

Magistrate Zubaidah Sharkawi ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Patrick Kulin, 52.

Lawyer Voon Lee Shan, who represented the accused, said the court ruled there was no evidence the motorcycle was in Patrick’s possession, and that it was never produced in court for identification.

Voon further said Patrick was arrested in an ambush soon after he alighted from the bus, at which point he was led to a motorcycle purportedly stolen by him.

During the incident, Patrick was on his way home from Serian town to Tebedu.

He was accused of retaining the machine at 11am on Dec 21 last year.