SUNGAI PETANI: The magistrates' court has fined a trader RM4,500 after she pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing sex toys.
Magistrate Khairatul Animah Jelani handed down the sentence to Ch'ng Ling Yeen, 40, after she admitted to the charge when it was read out.
She was accused of committing the offence on the afternoon of June 13 at Virene Sdn Bhd, Lorong 14, Taman Petani Jaya.
The charge, framed under Section 292(a) of the Penal Code for the possession or sale of obscene material or objects, carries a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Home Ministry prosecution officer Mohd Khairul Azhar Shuaib urged the court to impose an appropriate punishment as a lesson to Ch'ng.
In mitigation, National Legal Aid Bureau lawyer Norfarahazlina Zahari, representing the accused, pleaded for leniency as it was her client's first offence.
"The accused has two children, aged nine and ten, to support and is also caring for her elderly mother and ailing mother-in-law. She is remorseful for her actions and is pleading for leniency from the court," she said.
Khairatul fined the accused RM4,500, with six months' imprisonment if she failed to pay the fine.
Ch'ng, who was accompanied by her husband, paid the fine.