Man pleads not guilty to stealing handphone at Low Yat Plaza

Earlier, Shahrul Anuar claimed trial at the KL magistrate’s court to a charge of stealing a Lenovo phone S860 worth RM800 from a shop in Low Yat Plaza last Saturday.

The packed courtroom was momentarily stunned when Shahrul initially pleaded guilty, with his lawyer Shaharudin Ali also expressing surprise and telling the judge that it was contrary to his instructions.

After magistrate Aminahtul Mardiah Md Nor read the charge to him, he pleaded guilty but muttered “Barang kes tak ada (there is no case evidence)”. “It’s his nickname. I have bought handphones from him for a very long time and he always sells quality items”, said Mr Fais Al-Hajari in the photo, which was shared on the Siakap Keli Facebook group at 5pm on Monday.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Suhaimi Ibrahim proposed bail to be set at RM5,000 with one surety.

“For the future of Malaysia, we need to fight these politicians who love to use racial and religious issues as weapons to arouse hatred among the people, ” he noted further.

“Having free access to social media channels does not automatically give you a license to inflame, incite and act in a totally irresponsible manner”, Avran cautioned, appealing to Malaysians to “take a step back” and think before posting something inflammatory online.

“All this while, we have been fed with information from the police”.

“We are exploring the possibility of seeking the charge to be reduced from (Section) 380 to 379, that doesn’t mean we are prepared to plead guilty. But according to my client, only one person went up while the rest remained downstairs”, he told reporters at the Jalan Duta Court Complex today.

A 22-year-old man, believed to be at the centre of an incident that sparked off a brawl and riot at Low Yat Plaza, has been charged with theft.

The commotion turned into a demonstration on Sunday night after several messages spread on social media resulted in scores of people gathering outside the mall reportedly to demand retribution.

To date, 19 people have been arrested for participating in the melee.