KOTA KINABALU, Nov 23 ― A clerk, who was sentenced to 14 days’ jail by a Magistrate’s Court here on Wednesday for stealing beauty products from a drugstore, begged for a non-custodial sentence as she has a cat at home.
Norandriani Herwan Guntur, 29, who pleaded guilty before magistrate Wan Farrah Farizza Wan Ghazali, did not explain who would take care of her cat if she was sentenced to jail.
She begged not to be sent to jail because she needs to go back to work and she needs to take care of her mother and wheelchair-bound sibling due to an accident.
“I have a cat at home,” said Norandriani who broke down in tears.
The magistrate explained to the accused that the offence she committed provides for a mandatory jail sentence.
Norandriani admitted to stealing the beauty products including a body shower soap from the store at a shopping complex here on October 12.
She was convicted under Section 380 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine and whipping, upon conviction.
The court heard that Norandriani was behaving suspiciously and noticed by the store’s staff, who was on duty at that time.
The staff went to check on the shop’s CCTV and found that Norandriani had taken those items and hid them inside her a bag she carried.
She was also seen leaving the store without making any payment on the items inside the bag.
Several staff of the store went to stop Norandriani who refused to be brought back to the store. However, she had taken out all those items from the bag.
The prosecution urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence on the accused and informed the court that Norandriani had no previous conviction record. ― Borneo Post
