Kota Kinabalu: A 34-year-old woman who was involved in a dangerous high-speed car chase with the police, which was caught in a video clip that went viral last month, was on Wednesday sentenced to a total of five years and fined RM2,000 on three counts of offences.
Unemployed Martini Abdul Ghani, who was brought before two separate magistrates, pleaded guilty to stealing a vehicle, driving in a dangerous manner and obstructing policemen from carrying out their duty, between Feb 12 and Feb 14, at separate locations, here.
Martini was jailed two years by Magistrate Lovely Natasha Charles on the first count of stealing a black Toyota Hilux belonging to Zity Noorfilzah Mohd Nadzri at 8.30am on Feb 12 at Segama.
Martini was handed another two years jail and fined RM2,000 or seven months jail on the second count of driving the vehicle in a dangerous manner between 10am and 11.30am on Feb 14 along Jalan Sepanggar.
The court also ordered her to be disqualified from holding and obtaining driving licence for five years from Wednesday.
On the third count, Martini was sentenced to 12 months’ jail by Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie for using criminal force on four police personnel namely Sergeant Selamat Ibrahim, Corporals Joseph Dinsim and Abdullah Baki and Corporal (Support) Razalyinam Abdul Shamad with the intention to deter them from discharging their duties between 10am and 11.30am on Feb 14 along Jalan Sepanggar here.
Martini was ordered to serve the imprisonment sentences from the date of her arrest.
Unrepresented, Martini requested for a lenient sentence and for all the sentences to run from the date of her arrest.
She also informed the court that she is six months pregnant and will give birth in July, adding that her five children with her former husband are taken care off by her sister.
Martini told the court that her present husband did not know that she was pregnant as her cell phone was not with her.
The prosecution applied for an adequate sentence.
According to the facts of the case presented by the prosecution, prior to the incidents, a man brought Martini to check into a hotel at Segama.
The man left Martini inside the vehicle with the engine still running while he went to look for a room.
Martini then took the opportunity to steal the vehicle and drove it away.
At 9.59am on Feb 14, the police after being informed by the owner that her vehicle was missing, located the vehicle around Tanjung Lipat.
The police approached the vehicle and ordered Martini to pull over by showing hand signals as well as using a loud hailer but was ignored by Martini who continued to accelerate with the intention of fleeing.
When reaching the Tebobon traffic light area, Jalan Sepanggar, Manggatal, the vehicle driven by Martini was stuck in a traffic congestion. Policemen alighted from their vehicle and approached Martini but she reversed the vehicle with the intention to escape, injuring the left arm of a policeman.
To restrain Martini from acting more aggressively, police fired several shots at the vehicle’s tyres which caused it to stop.
Martini was then arrested.
The first count against Martini falls under Section 379A of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of between one year and seven years and liability of a fine, on conviction while the second count framed under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 carries a jail term of up to five years and fine of between RM5,000 and RM15,000, on conviction.
The third count under Section 353 of the Penal Code carries a jail term of up to two years or fine or both on conviction, while the fourth count under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drug Act provides for a fine of up to RM5,000 or up to two years jail on, conviction.
Martini also facing another charge of taking drugs under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act which would be mentioned on April 21, pending the chemist’s report.
Inspectors Kelvan Elson Maik and Suzie @ Stephanie Kupit prosecuted.
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