Three months in jail for shoe thief

PADANG, West Sumatra: The provincial court sentenced Rudi, 20, on Monday to three months imprisonment for stealing a pair of shoes. The sentence was much lighter than the 10-month sentence sought by the prosecutors.

The panel of judges, presided over by Judge Arnellia, found that the defendant had caused discomfort in the neighborhood.

Mitigating facts contributed to a light sentence: the defendant has responsibility, has never been sentenced before, he admitted guilt and behaved well during the trial.

Rudi never managed to make it home with the shoes because the owner, S. Riski Lubis of Jl. Pasar Mudik, saw him walking out of the empty house carrying the shoes and soon started yelling and chasing the thief.

The defendant threw the shoes and ran, but was eventually captured by the group of locals chasing him. --Antara