By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, June 10: A teenage girl avoided jail time after the Magistrate’s Court today placed her on a one-year good behaviour bond for stealing a tablet earlier this year.
Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan handed down the decision after reviewing a report from the Social Welfare Department, which recommended rehabilitation instead of punishment, as allowed under the Child Act 2001.
The 17-year-old was accused of taking an iPad from a shop along Jalan Rubber Barat on February 8, during the early afternoon.
The shop staff discovered the device missing and reviewed security camera footage, which showed the girl slipping the tablet into her bag and walking out of the store.
A police report was filed, and she was arrested two days later. Investigators later confirmed she had taken the device without permission.
She was charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code, which covers theft from premises such as shops, and carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine.
However, due to her age and circumstances, the court opted for a rehabilitative approach.
The girl appeared in court without legal representation, while Inspector Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin prosecuted the case. — DayakDaily
