Authorities revealed that By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, April 10: A 41-year-old hearing-impaired man has been sentenced to seven months in jail by the Magistrates’ Court today after pleading guilty to stealing cash from two elderly men and a visually-impaired individual at automated teller machines (ATMs), under the pretence of offering assistance.
David Ngu admitted to three separate charges brought under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft. The charges were heard before Magistrates Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan and Ling Hui Chuan.
For two of the charges, Magistrate Mason sentenced Ngu to seven and five months in prison, respectively, while Magistrate Ling imposed a four-month sentence for the third charge. The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently from today.
According to the case facts, the incidents took place on January 30, March 18, and March 30 this year, across different bank branches located at Stutong Parade, Jalan Setia Raja, and King Centre here.
Ngu pretended to assist the victims in withdrawing money from ATMs. The victims, who believed they were receiving genuine help, entered their cards and PINs while the accused operated the machine. However, Ngu discreetly pocketed part of the withdrawn cash before fleeing the scene.
The total amount stolen include RM1,500 from the visually-impaired victim and RM1,200 and RM500 from two elderly men aged 63 and 76, respectively.
Investigations revealed that Ngu did not speak during the encounters and communicated using hand signals, likely to gain the trust of the victims. CCTV footage from the bank locations also captured him at the scene, and subsequent police identification line-ups confirmed his identity.
Authorities disclosed that Ngu has a criminal record with 10 prior offences.
He was represented in court by lawyers Brenda Chong and Michael Kong, while Inspector Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin led the prosecution. – DayakDaily
