KOTA KINABALU: A father of six was sentenced to five months' jail by the magistrate's court here for stealing groceries including two five-kilograms packets of rice.
Rozzaimi Yunnus, 35, claimed that he stole the items to feed his family.
The self-employed man pleaded guilty before magistrate Lovely Natasha Charles to stealing more than 30 grocery items worth RM664.70 at a supermarket in Wawasan Plaza here on Dec 22 last year.
The offence under Section 380 of the Penal Code provides for a jail term of up to 10 years or a fine, upon conviction.
The facts of the case stated that Rozzaimi, who behaved suspiciously, was stopped by several security guards when he wanted to leave the supermarket.
Upon inspection, the accused failed to show any payment receipt.
During mitigation, the unrepresented accused asked for a lenient sentence saying that this was his first offence and that he was the sole breadwinner of the family.
When asked by the court, Rozzaimi said that he took the items for the family – his wife who is a housewife, and six children.
Inspector Kelvan Elson Maik urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence against Rozzaimi.
He also asked for the food items to be returned to the rightful owner.