KOTA KINABALU: A local 27-year-old welder was jailed six years and ordered to be whipped once by the Sessions Court here yesterday for robbing a man with a cleaver.
Judge Ismail Brahim passed the sentence on Mohd Syazwan Affandi after he pleaded guilty to robbing the 18-year-old local man of a laptop, two cellphones, bank cards and personal documents behind a restaurant at Foh Sang near here on Feb 13.
The undefended accused who was convicted under Section 392 of the Penal Code, punishable under 397 of the same Code, was armed with a cleaver during the robbery.
The indictment carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and also liable to whipping upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Nartiah F. Mirchelle Sambatan told the court that the victim was walking alone near the said place, when a car suddenly stopped behind him and the accused came out from the car brandishing a cleaver demanding for his belongings. After taking all the belongings, the accused fled the place.
Sambatan said that all the items were recovered except for the victim’s personal documents.
In another Sessions Court, a warrant of arrest was issued against a local man who is to be tried on two charges of gang robbery and impersonating a policeman.
Judge Azreena Aziz issued the warrant of arrest against George Chung, 27, after he failed to turn up in court when the case was set for trial.
On the first count, he pleaded not guilty to robbing a local man of a Toyota Hilux, RM500 in cash and a cellphone at the staircase of a cyber cafe in Penampang at 10.30pm on August 31, 2012.
The alleged offence, which was reportedly committed with an accomplice who is still at large, was framed under Section 395 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum jail of 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
The accused was released on RM15,000 bail deposited with RM8,000 with two local sureties for the robbery case.
For the second charge, he was alleged to have impersonated a policeman and handcuffed a 33-year-old local man at the same time and place.
The offence was framed under Section 170 of the Penal Code which is punishable by a maximum jail term of two years, or with a fine, or both, upon conviction.
For this case, he is currently released on RM5,000 bail deposited with two local sureties.
The court fixed April 16 this year to review the warrant of arrest. Deputy public prosecutor Effizah Ernie Idris prosecuted.