Duo fined RM10,000 each for stealing solar street lamps in Sibu

SIBU: Two individuals have been fined RM10,000 in default one year’s jail each by the Magistrate’s Court for stealing three units of solar street lamps on Tuesday (Aug 8).

The accused, Tan Jin Hua, 32, and Lau Sie Heng, 36, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Flavian Edward Henry for the offence under Section 379 of the Penal Code.

Both of them, however, opted for the default sentence as they could not pay the fine.

According to the brief facts of the case, the duo had stolen the items located in Sungai Pak, Jalan Stabau between 6pm on July 1 and 4.30pm on July 2.

On July 2, a community leader of the area had informed the street lamp installation contractor that three units of the lamp costing RM6,300 had gone missing from the pole.

Upon investigations, police detained the two men on July 24 where the suspects were spotted driving a four-wheel drive vehicle in a suspicious manner on Jalan Ling Kai Cheng.

The police seized three iron poles with solar lights, two solar panel units and one solar panel unit with iron poles from a house on Jalan Lada.

At about 5.50pm on the same day, police also confiscated a solar panel and an LED street lamp along with an iron pole from a house on Jalan Ulu Sungai Merah.