What an excuse!

I came across this run-of-the-mill story of the chief cashier of a bank here in George Town who has been charged in court today for stealing RM910,000 from the bank he worked in. The story by itself wouldn't attract any passing interest from anyone but for the quibble between the prosecutor and the defence lawyer over the quantum of the bail.

The prosecution had asked for a RM10,000 bail but the defence lawyer asked for it to be lowered to RM5,000. In the end a compromise figure of RM8,000 was struck. And the reason for this request? He has four school-going children, said the lawyer.

I'm surprised. Firstly, the bail should reflect the gravity of the crime, and RM910,000 is a lot of money. Secondly, was that a good enough excuse to reduce the bail? Indeed, if the accused had the intention to steal the money, he should have been well aware of the consequences before he did it, not after. So what if he has "four school-going children"? That's inconsequential to this case. I'm surprised that the court can even consider this request.