KUCHING: A man was yesterday sentenced to 18 months’ jail for housebreaking to commit theft by the magistrates’ court.

The magistrates’ court also imposed a RM3,000 fine on the accused Affendi Bakri, a security guard from Kampung Semerah Padi Baru. Should he fail to pay the fine, he will have to serve an imprisonment term of three months apart from the 18 months pronounced.

The said imprisonment and fine were imposed after he pleaded guilty to the charge.

In mitigation, his defence counsel Lim Lian Kee informed the court that Affendi is the sole breadwinner for his family and that he stole the goods for his children.

The charge against him reads that he committed the offence at 7.30pm on April 2 this year at the exhibit store of Royal Customs and Excise Department in Jalan Demak Laut. He committed housebreaking and theft by entering that store and stealing a DVD player, two packets of fireworks, 17 packets of ‘Pop-Pop’ firecrackers, three bars of ‘Ghun Lee Hung’ firecrackers, and two small bundles of ‘Thump Clap Rockets’ fireworks.

These items were said to be worth about RM600.

The offence comes under Section 457 of the Penal Code and is punishable with a maximum penalty of up to 14 years’ jail with a fine.

According to the facts of the case, a 44-year-old complainant from Taman Sri Wangi in Jalan Matang claimed finding the edge of the zinc wall at the back of the store peeled open and some exhibits missing. He lodged a police report around 10.15am on April 26 this year.

Police arrested Affendi at his house at 11.30pm later that day. Upon searching, they found some fireworks and firecrackers hidden under the bed in his bedroom.