By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, July 19: A jobless youth was sentenced to a total of 17 years’ jail and four strokes of the cane for gang robbery and illegal possession of dangerous weapons in 2018.
Abd Rafiq Hafizzul Aldrich, 24, was found guilty by Sessions Court Judge Jason Juga on February 4 after a full trial of the case.
In view that the accused was still under 21-years-old when the the crime was committed, he was categorised as a juvenile offender and the Court needed to consider the accused’s social report before sentencing.
Jason after hearing the accused’s social report, sentenced the accused to ten years’ jail and three strokes of the cane for the charge of gang robbery and seven years’ jail term and one stroke of the cane for the charge of illegal possession of dangerous weapons.
The judge also ordered the imprisonment terms to run concurrently. Thus the accused will only have to serve ten years in jail.
Abd Rafiq was implicated in a gang robbery with a parang at a carpark in Jalan Petanak at about 2.58am on March 30, 2018.
He was charged under Section 395 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 397 of the same Code, which carries a maximum jail term of twenty years and whipping, upon conviction.
He was also charged under Sub-section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958 for illegally possessing a parang.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ruthra Raj prosecuted while the accused was represented by counsel CM Sundram. — DayakDaily
