Muhammad Rizal, seen here being escorted by police at the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex on Aug 18, 2022, was wearing the stolen panties when he was arrested.
KOTA KINABALU: A local man who was caught wearing stolen panties was sentenced to 24 months' jail by the Magistrate's Court here for stealing the undergarment.
Muhammad Rizal Richard Abdullah, 39, who has a fetish for wearing women's underwear, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Jessica Ombou Kakayun to a charge of theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code, which provides for seven years' jail, or a fine, or both, here on Thursday (Aug 18).
According to the charge sheet, Muhammad Rizal, was said to have stolen a woman's underwear at Taman Puncak in Menggatal near here at 1.39am on Aug 11.
The man, who was shirtless at the time, was captured on CCTV stealing the panties from the woman's balcony using a stick. She later lodged a police report.
Muhammad Rizal was detained at his house later on Aug 13 and further checks found that there were 10 women's undergarments in his possession.
In mitigation, his counsel from the National Legal Aid Foundation, Nabila Norsahar pleaded for leniency, saying Muhammad Rizal had confessed to the offence and was remorseful of his actions.
Nabila added the accused, who was jobless, was a divorcee and had two children to care for.
The prosecution, led by Insp Albert Basiri, urged the court to hand down a deterrent sentence.
This case has gone viral and involves a matter of public interest. He was wearing the woman’s panties when he was arrested.
"The accused admitted that he was aware and sane when the committed the crime. He did this to satisfy his lust," he said.
