Married couple gets life for possessing, planting cannabis

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KUCHING: A married couple was sentenced to life imprisonment after they were convicted of two drug charges namely possession of 20.44g cannabis and planting cannabis in their house last year.

Cannabis is also known as ganja.

Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman imposed the life sentence on Tajol Ashikin Tambi, 39, and wife Rozaimah Mat, 37, found guilty of the charges under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952 for possession of the cannabis, and the second charge of planting cannabis under Section 6B(1)(a) punishable under Section 6B(3) of the same act.

NO ESCAPE: Rozaimah being escorted by a policewoman to a cell.

For the first charge, Tajol and Rozaimah were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Tajol was also to be given three strokes of the rotan.

For the second charge, they were sentenced to life imprisonment with Tajol to be given another six strokes – making a total of nine strokes in all.

The custodial sentences on both accused were to run concurrently.

Tajol, an auxiliary policeman and his wife were nabbed from their house in Semariang Batu at about 12.30pm on Jan 12 last year. A prima facie case was proven against Tajol and Rozaimah in December last year. The couple has two children.

Judge Afidah ruled that the two had failed to raise reasonable doubt in their defence.

She said they were clearly in denial when they claimed that the cannabis, planted by their eldest son without their knowing, was ‘dangerous’ so they brought it inside the house to protect it from sunlight.

In mitigation, defence counsel Voon Lee Shan, asked for leniency.

He urged the court to impose a lenient sentence as the couple had two children, aged seven and four, under their care.

DPP Hasyutantee Khalil who stood in for DPP Steven Beti, the key prosecutor, said public interest had to be taken into consideration in the case.

Furthermore Tajol and his wife had failed as parents by bringing their children into the case, claiming their eldest son had planted the cannabis.

Tajol appeared calm when judgment was delivered but his wife broke down in tears.

Also seen in the court throughout the ruling yesterday were their family members and children.

Judge Afidah granted the stay of whipping on Tajol as applied by Voon.