KOTA KINABALU: A culinary student, who robbed a China national of her handbag in desperation for money due to his unpaid salary, was sentenced to four years’ jail and fined RM500, in default, three months jail, as a form of rehabilitation.
Sessions Court judge Ummu Kalthom Abd Samad stated this when sentencing Suparman Usman, 23, who admitted his guilt as charged under Section 392 of the Penal Code.
Judge Ummu enunciated clearly the indictment, which carried a jail term of up to 14 years and a fine or whipping.
Suparman, looking nervously standing the accused dock, took a big breath to control his emotions in order not to burst out crying in the open court.
Judge Ummu, in her reserved judgement, read out her points, which included the fact that the offence was committed against a victim who is a tourist and was walking with a friend in a public area from Gaya Street back to a hotel at Bandaran Berjaya. Although there was no physical injury, she said the tourist must have been traumatized from the incident.
In considering Suparman’s mitigation, Ummu held that the circumstances of him being a student, having received a job offer to start in August, having no money, wanting to go back to his village to see his siblings whom he had not seen for two years, should not be reasons to commit the offence. Suparman should have thought of the consequences of his act beforehand and not after, she added.
She said that public interest must prevail over private interest and the punishment is served as a means to rehabilitate the accused and deter would-be offenders besides protecting future victims.
Suparman had robbed Lin Jiadiao, 26, by snatching her bag containing a purse and a passport, behind a bus stop near the old library building here at 9 pm on June 7.
Suparman, with a shaved head and wearing a black t-shirt, looked gloomy before the court started, with his head bowed down while waiting in the accused dock.
During the court proceeding, he kept looking at the judge while listening to explanations of the judgement in Malay as he requested. Some of the judgement was also explained to him by the court’s interpreter whenever the judge read out her judgement in English.
Suparman inhaled deeply as the judge meted out the sentence and sobs were heard despite trying to keep calm throughout the hearing.
The court ordered the jail sentence to take effect from the date of his arrest on June 7.
Suparman was seen wiping his tears as the police escort handcuffed him to be brought down to the temporary court lockup,
Deputy public prosecutor Adibah Saiful Bahri prosecuted while Suparman was not represented.