Taiping: A goreng pisang and apam balik seller pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court today to torching a motorcycle last Thursday.
Zainatul Rafeda Zainul Abidin, 43, tearfully admitted her guilt and expressed regret over her actions as the charge was read before Judge Nabisha Ibrahim.
She was accused of committing mischief by fire, knowing it would damage the Honda RSX motorcycle valued at RM7,000 belonging to Zainatul Syakira Amira Zaini, 22.
The offence was allegedly committed at Jalan Masjid Pokok Assam around 3.50 pm on Dec 26.
She was charged under Section 435 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment and a fine upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Fahmi Kamaluddin proposed bail of RM20,000 with the condition that the accused refrain from contacting the complainant.
However, National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Ng Wei Jun, representing the accused, pleaded for a reduced sum, citing her age, her monthly income of approximately RM1,000, her responsibility in supporting four children, and her husband's partial paralysis due to a stroke.
When questioned by Nabisha, the accused appealed for the lowest possible bail, emphasising that this was her first offence.
The judge subsequently set bail at RM4,000 with one surety, agreeing to the prosecution’s additional condition, and scheduled Jan 14 for the submission of the case facts and sentencing.
On Dec 27, media reports highlighted the case of a female trader who, frustrated by the impending repossession of the motorcycle due to 20 months of missed payments, set the vehicle ablaze.
A video of the incident went viral on social media.
