SENT TO JAIL: Dokubu is seen being escorted out of the courthouse after the delivery of judgment.
KUCHING: A Nigerian student was sentenced to 10 years in jail and 10 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here yesterday for possessing 147.85gm of cannabis.
Judge Amelati Parnell convicted Dokubu Otokini Charles, 24, under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952 and punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same act which provides for a jail term of between five years and life as well as 10 strokes of the cane.
Dokubu admitted having the drug when arrested by the police at a house in Green Height here about 5am on June 3. Three other persons involved with him are still at large.
The brief fact of case stated that a police patrol unit was doing its round at the residential area when they saw a car (Perodua Viva) driven in a suspicious manner.
They tailed the car until it reached a house and saw four men alighting from it. They fled when they saw police presence. One of them was, however, caught later and identified as Dokubu who studied at a private college here.
When arrested, he was carrying a sling bag which contained a small weighing scale and a plastic packet containing what was later confirmed as cannabis weighing 147.85 gm.
In mitigation, Dokubu pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying “I have not only wronged the Malaysian Government but also God”.
“I believe in God. I do not want to stand before the court and tell lies. That is why I pleaded guilty,” he said.
Dobuku, who was not represented by any lawyer, appeared calm when the sentence was handed down.
DPP Stella Augustine Druce, meanwhile, urged the court to pass an appropriate sentence to deter others from being involved in the illegal activity.