KUCHING: The Session’s Court here sentenced two friends to seven years in jail and three lashes of the rotan after pleading guilty to robbing a mini grocery store employee with a samurai and a knife.
Judge Mohd Taufik Mohd @ Mohd Yusoff meted out the sentence to Muhammad Marzuki Azaman, 22, and Mohd Zamri Bin Gandi, 26, after they pleaded guilty to a charge framed under Section 397 of the Penal Code.
If convicted, the punishment is up to 20 years in jail and whipping of the rotan.
According to the charges, they committed an armed gang robbery against a 22-year-old man with a samurai sword and a knife and ran away with RM500 from the mini grocery store.
The offence took place at Jalan Ban Hock in Padungan around 6.45pm on Oc 4.
According to the facts of the case, the victim lodged a police report after the incident occurred at approximately 7.15 pm.
Acting on information, the police managed to arrest Marzuki on Oct 5 while, Zamri was arrested a day after on Oct 6.
As a result of the investigation, the victim identified the two accused for often visiting the store with Marzuki’s girlfriend, who works at the entertainment centre located next to the grocery store.
In addition, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage also found that the car they used during the robbery, had an unique and easy-to-recognize marking
Investigation also revealed that Marzuki was armed with a samurai while, Zamri was armed with a knife during the robbery.
Before the sentence was imposed, deputy public prosecutor Danial Mohamad Ali requested for a heavier sentence on the two accused due to the seriousness of the offense committed, the loss suffered by the shop and the traumatic effect on the victim.
In addition, Danial added that cases like this happen frequently and are often reported by the media.
Therefore, the penalty should be a heavy one, taking into account of the community’s safety that needs to be protected.
Both accused were unrepresented by counsels.
