Dad of 5 jailed 6 months for stealing RM394 worth of groceries

A father of five was sentenced to six months in prison by the Kota Bharu magistrates’ court after pleading guilty to stealing RM394 worth of groceries, including baby formula.

Magistrate R Vinoshen said this was not 43-year-old Wan Eskandar Wan Julihi’s first offence as he was previously convicted of cheating and served time in jail.

“Under these circumstances, the court finds it necessary to impose a deterrent sentence so that the accused will learn his lesson and not repeat his actions,” he said, according to Harian Metro.

Wan Eskandar pleaded guilty to stealing 12 packets of baby formula, nine packets of Milo, a can opener as well as other food and drink items from a supermarket in Kota Bharu on Oct 11.

The charge was framed under Section 380 of the Penal Code, which provides for up to 10 years in prison.

Nik Nasrun Nazmi Nik Mohamad of the National Legal Aid Foundation told the court that Wan Eskandar was unemployed and had only recently been freed from prison.

In appealing for a more lenient sentence, Nik Nasrul said his client had five children to look after and suffered from heart disease, high blood pressure and psoriasis.

Vinoshen said Wan Eskandar’s financial struggles and familial responsibilities did not give him the automatic right to a lighter sentence.

He said that theft, even if only involving a loaf of bread, was still a criminal offence punishable by jail under the Penal Code.

He said the court typically sentences those convicted of theft to between one and three years in prison.

“However, in this case, considering the mitigating factors and case facts, the court is sentencing the accused to just six months in prison.”