Fadley Faisal

A local man landed in jail for selling a co-worker’s mobile phone in exchange for some money and drugs.

Magistrate Hajah Ervy Sufitriana binti Haji Abdul Rahman sentenced Azman bin Muhammad to two months’ imprisonment yesterday, after he pleaded guilty to the charge of misappropriating property.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Aeny Zullizam revealed in court that the defendant had borrowed the phone from a fellow employee at a department store in Mulaut, at 3pm on August 21.

The co-worker told the defendant to return the phone after he had finished using it.

Later, when the co-worker had finished his shift at 6pm, he was unable to find the defendant at the premises.

He then saw that the defendant had clocked out from work at 4.48pm.

The next day, after failing again to trace him, the co-worker filed a police report that led to the defendant’s arrest.

Police investigations revealed that the defendant had borrowed the phone to text his girlfriend, and then completed his shift at 4.48pm without returning the phone. On the way home to Bukit Beruang in Tutong District, the defendant’s car ran out of fuel at Kampong Penanjong.

He took a bus to Kampong Sengkurong, with the intent of selling the phone to a friend, so that he could buy fuel for the car.

While there, he closed a deal with his friend for BND20 and two packets of drugs.

He also confessed to the police to buying BND10 worth of fuel for his car, along with two packets of nasi katok and a drink. The remaining money was used for gambling, while the phone worth BND248, was never recovered.