By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Jan 27: A man who used a deceased individual’s lost debit card to spend over RM700 was sentenced to six months in jail by the Magistrates’ Court today.
Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan delivered the sentence after the accused, 40-year-old Nelson Jawan Lapok, pleaded guilty to two charges under Section 424 of the Penal Code.
This section carries a penalty of up to five years imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Nelson received three months’ imprisonment for each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently from today.
The offences occurred on November 9 and 10, 2024, at a convenience store in Muara Tuang and another in Kota Sentosa.
Case details revealed that on November 10, the deceased’s sibling received a bank notification via the deceased’s phone, indicating five PayWave transactions made using the lost debit card.
The card was reported missing following the account holder’s fatal accident on November 5, 2024.
A police report filed by the sibling led to Nelson’s arrest on January 4, 2025. Investigations uncovered that he had made purchases amounting to RM407.69 and RM316.90 at the two locations.
The prosecution was handled by Insp Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin. Nelson was not represented by a lawyer. — DayakDaily
