Kota Kinabalu: A habitual drug offender, who had two consuming syabu convictions, was sentenced to five years in jail and one whipping by the Sessions Court here on Wednesday, for committing a similar offence for the third time.
Sessions Court Judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim meted out the sentences to Mohd Suffian Temano, 30, after he maintained his guilty plea and was scheduled for sentencing on Dec 28.
The court also ordered the accused to be placed under police supervision for two years and to serve his jail term from the date of his arrest.
The accused was arrested at Kota Kinabalu police station on May 12, this year, when his urine sample tested positive for consuming syabu.
If whipping to be imposed, he requested for the number of whipping to be lesser and his jail term to be calculated from his date of arrest.
However, the prosecution urged the court to impose an adequate sentence against the accused.
Meanwhile, the Sessions Court here on Wednesday allowed an application from a dried anchovies seller to release his passport as he wanted to perform Umrah.
Judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim granted the application filed by the applicant Mohd Sofian Salleh, 44, through his counsel Nabila Norsahar to get the passport released for Sofian who intended to perform Umrah.
Following this, the Judge said the applicant (Mohd Sofian) must update and confirm the date of his Umrah visit to court latest by January 9, next year.
Noor Hafizah also stated that the applicant must return his passport as soon as he comes back to Malaysia from performing Umrah.
The prosecution raised no objection to the said application but subject to conditions to be imposed on the applicant.
Among the conditions submitted by the prosecution are the applicant must update and confirm the date of his Umrah visit and to return the passport as soon as he arrives in Malaysia.
On March 9, the applicant claimed trial to robbing a woman of her purse and allegedly caused hurt to her while committing the alleged robbery.
He was charged under Section 394 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and also liable to a fine and whipping, upon conviction.
The applicant allegedly robbed the 29-year-old victim of her purse containing her bank cards, driving licence and RM500 cash in front of a bank in Papar at 8.45am on Feb 23, this year.
The applicant was also alleged to have injured the victim when committing the alleged offence.
He is currently released on a bail of RM10,000 with RM5,000 deposited with two local sureties.
Previously, the applicant was ordered to report to a police station once in two weeks and reminded not to disturb any of the prosecution’s witnesses and to surrender his passport to the court if any.
