KUCHING: A 13-year-old teenager was ordered to Sekolah Tunas Bakti for three years by the Magistrate’s Court after pleading guilty to stealing his stepfather’s laptop in December last year.
Magistrate Zubaidah Sharkawi sentenced the teenager after reviewing his social report presented by the Social Welfare Department.
According to the charge, the accused kept a stolen laptop which belonged to his stepfather, 35, at a house in Tabuan Dani around 11.30 am on Dec 21, 2022.
The accused was charged under Section 411 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of six months and not exceeding five years, and a fine, upon conviction.
The court ordered the accused to be placed at the school effective yesterday with the mother being allowed to visit once in two months throughout the placement period.
The accused will also undergo supervision by a welfare officer after being released from Sekolah Tunas Bakti.
Based on the facts of the case, the complainant informed the teenager’s father that the accused had stolen a laptop and a bag without permission.
The complainant lodged a police report for action to be taken on the teenager on Dec 21, 2022 at around 11.30 am at their residence in Kampung Tabuan Dani.
The complainant incurred losses of about RM500.
Further investigations revealed that the accused had been taken care of by his grandmother ever since the complainant married his mother and only comes to the complainant’s house to take care of his stepsister while the mother is working.
The accused only studied up to primary five and did not continue his studies.
During the arrest by the police, the accused surrendered the laptop which was reported missing.
The teenager admitted to stealing the laptop because he needed money to spend but could not sell the laptop after having no buyers and instead just kept it at home.
The DPP of the case was Inspector Nur Syafiqa Nyaie Ilin while the accused was unrepresented by counsel.
