KOTA KINABALU: The Sessions Court yesterday convicted and sentenced a local man to nine years’ jail plus four strokes of the cane for gang robbery.
Ahmad Farizul Ismail, 22, who was brought before judge Duncan Sikodol, pleaded guilty to the charge framed under Section 395 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 397 of the same Code when the case came up for trial yesterday.
The offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years and also liable to whipping, upon conviction.
The unrepresented accused admitted to robbing 72-year-old taxi driver Nia Hui Lee @ George Nieh Hui Lit of RM800 cash, Brunei 100 dollars and a gold ring altogether worth RM1,800, with a knife.
He committed the offence with two accomplices who are still at large at Puri Warisan in Inanam about 3.10pm on July 28, this year.
When pleading for leniency, Ahmad Farizul informed the court that he has a wife and a kid to look after and he expressed regret for his wrongdoing and promised that he would not commit a similar offence in future.
Deputy public prosecutor Luke Ressa Balang however urged the court to hand down a deterrent sentence on the ground that gang robbery is a serious offence and the court should take into consideration the interest of the victim and the public.
Balang maintained that the accused was the person who had used the weapon against the victim during the robbery which was committed in broad daylight since the complainant had positively identified the accused as one of the robbers and the one who pointed the knife at him, in an identification parade.
Meanwhile, Nia when tendering his victim impact statement under Section 426 (1A) of the Criminal Procedure Code, said that he had been traumatised by the incident.
The facts of the case stated that three men, including the accused, had requested the victim to send them to Kampung Kalansanan.
One was seated on the front seat while the accused and another were seated at the back.
Upon reaching the teachers’ flat of SMK Inanam, the accused pointed a knife at the victim while the other man grabbed the victim’s neck and the front-seated man took away his belongings.
The trio fled in the taxi towards Kampung Kalansanan.
The accused was arrested on August 19 at an unnumbered room of a lodging house at Lorong Sinsuran 3 following a police report lodged by the victim soon after the incident.