KOTA KINABALU: A local man, who is now serving a 20 years’ jail for various offences, was jailed for another seven years and ordered to be whipped once by the Sessions Court here for robbing a motorcyclist at knife point.
Judge Ummu Kalthom Abdul Samad meted out the sentence on Norzaleh Md Sipin, 37, after he admitted to robbing the 18-year-old local youth of a motorcycle at the roadside of Jalan Kampung Sabok in Kinarut, Papar on February 3, 2011.
He was convicted under Section 392 of the Penal Code punishable under Section 397 of the same code which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and also liable to whipping upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Afzan Abd Kahar told the court that during the day of the incident, the victim saw a motorcycle on the road blocking his way.
Suddenly the accused came out from the nearest bushes and pointed a knife at the victim. Fearing for his life, the victim let the accused take his motorcycle.
Four days before the robbery, a local man had lodged a report against his ex-classmate, the accused, as he felt cheated by him.
Norzaleh told the accused that he wanted to borrow his motorcycle to fetch a friend at a mosque. However, Norzaleh did not return back the motorcycle which was later found to have been related with the robbery case.
The court also ordered the accused to be put under police supervision for one year.
In pleading for a light sentence, the unrepresented accused said that he felt remorseful for what he had done and he is expected to be released from jail when he turns 57.
Afzan pressed for a deterrent sentence taking into account public interest as well as the rampancy of the offence.
She also said that the accused had 24 previous convictions since 1999 and currently serving sentences for 15 offences since November 2011.
Afzan further said that the accused is expected to be released 21 years from now and he was also ordered to be given 19 strokes of the cane.
Some of the sentences are to run consecutively and concurrently.