Shaifullah Sandy Abdullah pleaded guilty before magistrate Ling Hui Chuan to attempted theft under Section 380 of the Penal Code, read with Section 511 of the same Act, The Borneo Post reported.

Section 380 of the Penal Code carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine, but for attempted offences, the sentence cannot exceed half that term.

The offence took place at around 9.20am last Thursday in an office on the ninth floor of a state government building in Petra Jaya.

Based on the facts of the case, auxiliary police caught Shaifullah, who had stayed overnight in the office, during a patrol. The medal was found in his possession.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Fauzulutfi Suriani appeared for the prosecution, while Shaifullah was unrepresented.