KUCHING: An unemployed man will celebrate his first Raya behind bars when he was sentenced to eight years in prison and three strokes of the cane by the Session Court here yesterday for causing serious injury to his elder brother by slashing him with a machete during a rampage last Saturday (April 15).
Izzat, 31, from Kampung Tabuan Hilir, pleaded guilty to one charge read out by an interpreter before Judge Maris Agan.
According to the charge sheet, he was accused of intentionally causing severe injury to the victim, 52, using a deadly weapon, namely a machete, at their home in Kampung Tabuan Hilir, at about 12.30 pm on April 15.
Therefore, Izat was charged under Section 326 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 326A of the same code, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine or caning, upon conviction.
Maris ordered the accused to begin serving his prison sentence with immediate effect.
During the incident at around 12.30 pm, the accused went berserk at their home and attempted to slash his mother (the complainant) with a machete but was stopped by the victim.
As a result of the incident, the victim suffered injuries to the back of his head and left arm. The cause of the incident was due to a misunderstanding in the family.
The fight was eventually broken up when patrol police arrived at around 12.40 pm and subsequently arrested the accused.
Before being sentenced, Izzat, who was not represented by a counsel, pleaded for leniency as he has to take care of his two children who are now under the care of his ex-wife, besides this being his first offence and he regretted his action.
However, deputy public prosecutor Norshafatihah Nor Azmi requested that the accused be given a deterrent sentence, taking into account the gravity of the offence and the public interest.
