Jobless man gets six months' jail for car theft
By Malai FadleyRizal

The Magistrate's Court sentenced a 38-year-old unemployed local man to jail for six months after he pleaded guilty to stealing a car Wednesday.

Magistrate Muhammed Faisal heard that Mursidi Hj Bandul had stolen the car at the car park near a bank in Bandar on December 19 last year at about 7 pm to 7.30pm.

Prosecuting Officer Hj Afif Daraina told the court that Mursidi was watching as the owner of the car arrived in Bandar and parked his car along Jalan McArthur near the bank on that day.

The car owner, accompanied by another person, went to a nearby convenience store. The driver's door was improperly shut.

Mursidi approached the car and pushed the driver's door causing the door lock to disengage and he entered the car where he found a key in the driver's side door's compartment panel and started the engine.

He then drove away.

On December 22 last year, the car owner was driving along Jalan Mulaut in another car and saw a car which he thought, bore a great resemblance of his stolen car.

He saw it affixed with a registration plate different to his stolen car's original licence plate.

He approached the car where Mursidi was in the driver's seat with a female passenger next to him and two children in the rear seat.

The car owner was carrying the key to his stolen car at that time, and decided to try and unlock the boot of the car, which Mursidi claimed was his brother's.

The key worked in opening the boot and the defendant ran away leaving the passengers in the car.

The police were informed and the female passenger was brought in for investigation.

It was revealed that the female passenger is Mursidi's wife and she said that Mursidi told her that the car was borrowed from the defendant's friend.

The defendant was arrested by police the next day at his home at No. 71 'C' in Kg Lurong Dalam.

The defendant has theft convictions in 1995 and in 1996.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin