KUCHING: A labourer from Sri Aman will spend the next seven years in prison and to get four lashes for robbing a woman of her mobile phone and causing hurt to her last Friday.
The Sessions Court judge meted out the sentence on Morrisson Sedai alias Zulkifli Abdullah, 39, from Rh Lani, Kampung Empelanjau in Pantu after he pleaded guilty to the charge framed against him under Section 392 of the Penal Code.
The section provides up to 14 years’ jail and whipping on conviction.
The custodial sentence was ordered to run immediately after the sentencing.
Morrisson admitted to have snatched a Samsung Note 4 phone belonging to the woman who was here for a visit. He also inflicted injury on her when he committed the offence at a bus stop near the Kuching Waterfront around 9.20pm on Aug 14.
DPP Poh Yih Tinn told the court that the victim was about to get into a bus when a stranger grabbed her mobile phone.
The accused attempt to escape on a Perodua Kancil car parked nearby was to no avail as the victim’s friend managed to catch up with him and subsequently nabbed him.
The accused was surrendered to the police and was positively identified by the victim during a parade.
At the court earlier, the accused pleaded for leniency saying he was the sole breadwinner for his family and his children were still in school.