Man's excuses for theft raise laughter in court
KUANTAN: A jobless man had the magistrate's court here in stitches yesterday with his explanation for stealing a bottle of perfume and nine toothbrushes from a hypermarket.
Amari Ambak has been charged with trafficking in 26.5g of heroin
"I needed money to buy rice," said Mohd Khairulnizam Jaafar, 33, after pleading guilty to committing the offence at the Carrefour Hypermarket in the East Coast Mall here about 2.30pm on Sept 19.
"I am also mentally unsound," he added, causing chuckles from the public gallery.
Khairulnizam added that he was out of work because he had spent considerable time in a hospital for an unspecified mental illness. When magistrate Nurunaim Abdullah asked him whether he had any document that proved he had been treated for mental illness in a hospital, he claimed to have lost it.
Khairulnizam then bent down and claimed he had a stomach ache, inducing further laughter from people in the public gallery, and a smile from the magistrate. However, the proceedings became serious when deputy public prosecutor Ungku Alfiati Zabeidah asked for a deterrent sentence because of the accused's multiple criminal records.
"Khairulnizam escaped from the Berseri drug rehabilitation centre in Perlis in 2000. He was also convicted of theft charges in 2004 and 2006," she said. Taking into account the previous convictions, especially in relation to theft, Nurunaim sentenced him to 16 months' jail, from yesterday.
In the same court yesterday, a fisherman was charged with trafficking in 26.5g of heroin 13 days ago.
Amari Ambak, 44, was alleged to have trafficked heroin in two plastic packets at an unnumbered house at Kampung Tanah Belia Sungai Soi, here, at 3pm on Sept 9. Nurunaim fixed Oct 30 for mention pending chemist report.
Ungku Alfiati prosecuted.
The accused in both cases were unrepresented.
