JOHOR BARU: A 43-year-old man was charged at the Sessions Court for robbing a teenager in an apartment lift.

The accused, Mohamad Hidayat Daim, pleaded guilty to the charge after it was read to him by the court interpreter before judge Fatimah Zahari here on Sunday (Oct 22).

According to the charge sheet, the accused stole a phone from a 14-year-old teenager inside a lift in Blok A, Pangsapuri Desa Jaya, Jalan Bayu Puteri 2, Johor Baru, on Oct 15 at 3.18pm.

The act is an offence under Section 392 of the Penal Code for robbery, which carries a maximum penalty of up to a 14-year jail term along with either a fine or whippings.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor S. Thiviya, while the accused was unrepresented.

During the prosecution, Thiviya requested that bail be set at RM15,000 along with additional terms where the accused must report to the nearest police station every month, not disturb the witnesses, and hand over his international passport to the court.

However, Mohamad Hidayat, in his defence, refused to be bailed.

The court then set Nov 20 for the case's next mention and sentence hearing.

On Oct 18, Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat was reported as saying that a 43-year-old was arrested for allegedly robbing a teenager in an elevator at an apartment.

The suspect was arrested at the same apartment at 11am on Tuesday (Oct 17).

“The victim, a 14-year-old boy, lodged a police report on Sunday (Oct 15) at around 5.25pm after a helmet-wearing man inside alift robbed him,” he said.

A 32-second video clip of the victim being robbed inside the elevator went viral on various social media platforms.