By: Sushma Veera

KUALA LUMPUR: He played the role of Detective Lim in the popular drama Gerak Khas, where he was often seen running after criminals and helping to curb their activities.

Sadly, in real life, drama actor Farid Amirul Hisham Wu Abdullah was not chasing after criminals but instead, he was in court for allegedly stealing from a bookshop.

Farid, 43, had initially pleaded guilty to the offence when he was first charged in the magistrate's court on April 4.

He was released on a RM1,500 (SGD620.75) bail in one surety.

Yesterday, he was in court for sentencing but when the case was called up, Farid's counsel, Nor Azri Mohd Arif, informed the court that his client had decided to change his plea.

Farid claimed trial to stealing two storybooks titled The Sistine Secrets worth RM89.90 and Decoding The Heavens worth RM105 from the MPH Bookstore in MidValley Megamall at 7.15pm on March 27.

Magistrate Mohd Faizi Che Abu ordered the prosecution to hand over the necessary documents to counsel by May 29 and fixed June 18 for trial.

Farid was accompanied by two friends and left the court without speaking to reporters.