KOTA KINABALU: A man was slapped with a 20-year jail sentence and fined RM2,000, in default, two months jail for assaulting his niece when she forgot to collect his mobile phone from a phone repair shop.
Magistrate Cindy Mc Juce Balitus imposed the sentence on James Panggoh, 34, after he pleaded guilty as charged under Section 325 of the Penal Code.
The indictment carries a jail term of up to seven years and a fine, upon conviction.
He had allegedly caused grievous hurt to Elizabeth Simon, 21, at a house in Kampung Hubah, Penampang at 10.15 pm on October 4.
In mitigation, James pleaded for a lenient sentence on the grounds that he is now remorseful of his act and was angry at the time of the incident.
Prosecuting officer Inspector Albert Basiri, however, pressed the court to impose a deterrent sentence on the accused.
The facts of the case stated James had gone to his niece’s house to visit her mother and grandmother. When the niece returned home, James asked about his mobile phone, to which she replied that she did not have the time to collect it and would do so on Friday.
Subsequently, when the niece entered her room, James followed her and began punching and slapping her ear and cheeks several times and kicking her body before leaving the room. As she tried to get out of the room, James started hitting her forehead with a hard object causing it to bleed. The niece then ran out of the house to seek help.