SEREMBAN: A 38-year-old mother of three was fined RM3,000 by the Magistrate's Court here after pleading guilty to stealing various gold jewellery items from a patient seeking treatment a government hospital.
Magistrate Nurul Sakinah Rosli handed down the sentence on Siti Aisyah Rusly, ordering her to serve six months in jail if she fails to pay the fine.
Siti Aisyah was charged with stealing a gold necklace with a locket, a bracelet, an anklet, and a pair of earrings belonging to a 56-year-old woman warded at the facility.
She was charged with committing the offence between 4.30pm and 6.30pm on March 13 at the green zone of the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital.
The accused was charged under Section 379 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to seven years or a fine or both upon conviction.
In mitigation, the accused, who was represented by lawyer Razqeeyanur Sarini Salzali from the Legal Aid Department, told the court she was remorseful for her actions.
Siti Aisyah said she not only had debts but had also been unemployed.
She also had to provide for her three young children, one of whom has Down Syndrome.
Deputy public prosecutor Nik Nur Aqilah Syarfa Nik Zaidi urged the court to impose a sentence commensurate with the offence.
