Prosecutor seeks maximum penalty to stop theft at ATMs

By JIMMY KALEBE
A POLICE prosecutor at the Lae District Court yesterday submitted for maximum penalty for stealing after seeing the prevalence of the offence in Lae.
Police Prosecutor Sgt Vincent Suakai, in an oral submission to Magistrate Isaac Tjipet, said the defendant, Kingsen Soso, 22, of Pingirip village in Mendi, Southern Highlands, should be fined K4,000 or jailed two years.
“This will send a warning to people trying to steal money from others, especially at the automatic teller machines (ATM),” he told the court.
Sgt Suakai said stealing from people at ATMs in Lae was becoming prevalent and a maximum penalty should be a deterrent to others.
Magistrate Tjipet, after considering that Soso was a first-time offender, pleaded guilty and shown remorse, ordered that he be fined K500 in default six months’ imprisonment at Buimo jail.
The court was told that Soso, on Friday at an ATM machine at Chayter House, Eriku, was pretending to help people when he committed the offence against a BSP customer.
Police said Soso forcefully insisted the customer obtain a mini bank statement after the customer used the ATM.
The customer disagreed and argued with Soso, but Soso had already got the statement and gave it to the customer before walking away.
Another customer in the queue advised the complainant to recheck her balance and when the complainant did, she noticed that there was a phone top-up made not long ago of K100 in her account.
Soso tried to escape, but was caught by the public and handed over to police. He was charged.