KUALA LUMPUR: A man who allegedly stole a mobile phone at Low Yat Plaza last year was fined RM2,000 by a magistrate's court here Friday when he pleaded guilty to drug abuse.

Magistrate Muhamad Faizal Ismail also ordered Shahrul Anuar Abdul Aziz, 22, to serve a month's jail if he failed to pay the fine and to undergo two years of police supervision.

Shahrul Anuar paid the fine.

He was charged with taking methamphetamines in the toilet of Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division office, Dang Wangi Police Headquarters, here at 4.15pm, on July 12 last year.

The charge under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which is punishable under Section 15 of the same Act, carries a fine of not more than RM5,000 or not more than two years' jail and not more than three years of police supervision.

During mitigation, the accused's counsel Ihsan Busyro Zakaria asked for the court to just impose a fine on his client as he had to support his mute mother and deaf father.

Deputy public prosecutor S. Malini Anne appeared for the prosecution.

Earlier, in the trial of the mobile phone theft case, the court was told that police did not carry out further investigations on the whereabouts of the phone after Shahrul Anuar was arrested at the plaza.

Investigating officer Insp Shahril Mohamad, from the Dang Wangi Police Headquarters, said he had asked two policemen where the mobile phone was and they said it was not with the accused at the time of the arrest.

Shahril was the ninth prosecution witness to testify in the trial of Shahrul Anuar, who was charged with stealing a mobile phone worth RM800 at Techasia Boutique, Low Yat Plaza, Bukit Bintang, at 4.47pm on July 11, last year.

Shahrul Anuar was charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine, if found guilty.

The hearing before Magistrate Nur'Aminahtul Mardiah Md Nor continues on Feb 29. – Bernama