PENANG: A Chinese national was fined RM2,000 by a magistrate’s court in Balik Pulau for theft committed on an airplane on his 47th visit to Malaysia.

He Dapeng, 51, a homestay operator from China, pleaded guilty to stealing RM2,000 at the Penang International Airport between 8.20 am and 8.40 am on 21 November.

He was charged with theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum sentence of seven years’ jail or fine or both.

Represented by Md Yusuf Md Idris, the counsel pleaded for leniency on behalf of He, saying this was He’s first offence and first visit to Malaysia.

However, deputy public prosecutor R Lushani showed that He had a record of 47 entries into Malaysia.

Counsel Md Yusuf then apologised to the court, citing error in communication and translation.

The facts of the case stated that He was spotted by an air stewardess for taking cash from a backpack kept in the overhead compartment of the airplane.

He counted the cash and then kept the cash in his pocket.

The air stewardess then removed the backpack immediately and later found that it belonged to a 33-year-old Malaysian passenger.

In a second case, Xin Ming, another Chinese national, was fined RM3,700 in the same court for theft on airplane.

The 61-year-old businessman pleaded guilty to stealing Taiwan dollars 24,000 (RM3,278) and RM250 on a plane at Penang International Airport between 10.20 am and 10.30 am on 24 November.

Xin was seen ransacking the overhead compartment for luggage on the plane and later a passenger’s cash in a backpack was missing.

Counsel Md Yusuf, who represented Xin, mitigated for leniency as the money had since been returned to the owner and Xin had been in remand since 24 November.

Both He and Xin paid the fine.