TAIPING: A banana fritters seller pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court today to setting fire to a motorcycle in Pokok Assam last Thursday.
"I plead guilty. I am sorry, Yang Arif," said a tearful Zainatul Rafeda Zainul Abidin, 43, before judge Nabisha Ibrahim.
Nabisha then set Jan 14, 2025, for sentencing.
According to the charge sheet, Rafeda is accused of committing mischief by using fire, knowing that it would cause damage to a black Honda RSX motorcycle worth RM7,000 owned by Zainatul Shakira Amira Zaini, 22, at 3.50pm on Dec 26.
She was charged under Section 435 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to 14 years' imprisonment and a fine upon conviction.
The prosecution was handled by deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Fahmi Kamaluddin, while the accused was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Ng Wei Jun.
Fahmi proposed a bail of RM20,000 with one surety, along with a condition that the accused must not interfere with or contact the victim until the case was concluded.
Ng said his client, who also sells apam balik, earned only around RM1,000 a month and supports four children, and her stroke-ridden husband.
He requested that the bail amount be reduced, stating that his client was willing to comply with all the prosecution's additional conditions and had no risk of fleeing.
"This is also the first offence I have committed," Rafeda said when the judge allowed her to speak during mitigation.
Nabisha then set the bail at RM4,000 with one surety, along with the additional conditions requested by the prosecution.