Pencil case brings back memories for lawyer

SHAH ALAM - A lawyer was taken by surprise when a woman whom he assisted 25 years ago regarding a theft case involving a pencil case, intended as a gift for her child, now sees her child growing up as a legal practitioner.

Lawyer Datuk Ahmad Zaharil Muhaiyar shared this sweet experience when an unknown young man approached and greeted him in court in 2017.

According to him, the young man burst into tears upon greeting him and expressed gratitude for helping his mother back in 1998.

"At that time, I was in the court lobby when suddenly a young man approached and asked if I was Ahmad Zaharil who 'saved' his mother from going to jail?

"To be honest, I was taken aback and didn't quite understand what he meant until he mentioned the case of the RM18 pencil case," he said when contacted by Sinar Harian on Wednesday.

Ahmad Zaharil said he never expected to meet the young boy again.

He was also grateful and delighted with his actions 25 years ago in assisting a 50-year-old Indian woman who arrived at the court handcuffed.

"At that time, I was alone in the court room after handling a case when the woman entered the room accompanied by the police.

"I felt compelled to approach her and ask why she was brought to court. It turned out that she had stolen a pencil case worth RM18 from a supermarket," he said.

Ahmad Zaharil said the woman had promised to gift the pencil box to her child if he became the top student.

However, due to financial constraints, she resorted to theft.

After hearing the woman's explanation, Ahmad Zaharil began to think about the fate that would befall the child if she were to be jailed for the offense.

"While offering assistance, I only thought about the child's fate and not about the color of her skin at all. Who would take care of him? How could he continue going to school if his mother was imprisoned?

"All of that played on my mind, and I decided to intervene in the case. I spoke to the magistrate to adjourn the case to a later date," he explained.

Without delay, Ahmad Zaharil went to the child's school in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, just to verify the woman's claim.

He said after meeting with the school's principal, it turned out that the young boy was indeed the top student in his class.

According to him, he returned to the court to meet with the supermarket owner and offered a sum of RM30, twice the price of the pencil box, but the owner refused to withdraw the charges.

"I tried my best to help the woman. Alhamdulillah, after taking statements from teachers, the magistrate eventually acquitted her after binding her over for a year on good behavior.

"Before she left, we collected some money from the contributions of court staff, police officers, and myself," he added.

Ahmad Zaharil said that was a moment he would cherish forever throughout his three decades as a lawyer.

He said his relationship with the young man has grown closer to the point where he considers him like his own child.

"After that meeting, we often meet and visit each other during Deepavali and Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations," he said.