KOTA KINABALU: The Court of Appeal here yesterday enhanced the jail sentence of a man who was convicted of gang robbery, to 12 years with three strokes of the cane.
Dato’ Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Datuk Vernon Ong Lam Kiat and Dato’ Abdul Rahman Sebli made the unanimous decision on Arbili Ibrahim, after finding merit in the prosecution’s appeal.
Deputy public prosecutor Tengku Intan Suraya Tengku Ismail (the appellant), sought the court’s discretion to increase the respondent’s jail term, given the gravity of the offence.
The respondent was initially freed of the charge after a full trial at the Sessions Court in July 2015, where he was charged under Section 395 of the Penal Code which carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment with whipping, on conviction.
However, the respondent was then ordered to spend five years in jail with three strokes of whipping by the High Court, following an appeal made by the prosecution against the decision of the lower court.
The respondent, together with an accomplice who is still at large, had robbed a 48-year-old man and taken RM300 cash around 6pm on October 21, 2014 in a hotel stairwell along Jalan Pantai here.