Not hunger but resale: Why a Sibu magistrate jailed three sisters for stealing 48 cans of corned beef

SIBU, July 2 — The Magistrates’ Court here sentenced three sisters from Bintangor to eight months in prison each for stealing 48 cans of corned beef and six packets of seasoning from a mini market.

Magistrate Romario Jonoi imposed the sentence on Ngui Mee Ing, 26; Ngui Mee Lang, 25; and Ngui Mee Kah, 22; after accepting their guilty pleas.

They were jointly charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same Act for stealing 48 cans of corned beef and six 1kg packets of seasoning worth RM828 from a Jalan Teku mini market at 2.17pm on June 20.

The offence carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine upon conviction.

According to the facts of the case, the theft was discovered after the complainant reviewed the premises’ closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage, which showed three women and two men taking the items.

A police report was subsequently lodged.

The police arrested Mee Lang and Mee Kah at the mini market on June 27, before apprehending Mee Ing at a house in Bakong, Meradong on June 29.

Investigations confirmed the three sisters were involved in the theft.

Police also seized the clothing they wore during the incident.

The stolen items were not recovered as they had been sold.

In passing sentence, Romario noted that Mee Lang and Mee Ing were first-time offenders.

He also took judicial notice that Mee Kah had previously been sentenced by the same court in April to two months’ imprisonment for stealing a box of instant noodles from a supermarket.

Although she appealed against the sentence, the appeal was withdrawn on July 1 after she was arrested for the present offence.

Romario said he found the AI sentencing recommendation criminally inadequate, adding that the case was no longer one of stealing food to survive but appeared to involve a syndicate stealing food items for resale.

He noted that stealing 48 cans of corned beef and six packets of seasoning was clearly not for normal household consumption and that the stolen items had already been sold.

He further said that imposing a binding-over order in such circumstances would send the wrong message and fail to deter similar offences.

The magistrate then sentenced all three accused to eight months’ imprisonment with effect from the date of conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Nuralisa Natasha Nazrulzam prosecuted the case while none of the three accused were represented by counsel. — The Borneo Post