Those who steal from supermarkets have been warned they will be sent to jail.
Magistrate Yogesh Prasad issued the warning yesterday while addressing the court in the case of Abdul Shafil, who was captured in a video earlier this month removing eight 500-gram Rewa Butter packs from inside his pants at a Suva supermarket.
Shafil admitting stealing the butter packs valued at $124.64 on August 7 from the MH Superfresh Supermarket. He was caught by a member of the staff.
In his first appearance, the married father-of-one told the court he intended to sell the butter to buy essentials for his baby.
The magistrate noted that thefts from supermarkets were emerging as a matter of public concern.
“If you steal in a supermarket, the court will give a custodial sentence because supervisors’ salaries get deducted if the stock is out, and it is unnecessary when someone else is stealing from the supermarket,” he said.
Mr Shafil’s lawyers have been given time to file sentencing and mitigating submissions on September 2.