Kota Kinabalu: A 42-year-old man who injured two policemen with a machete while holding his mother and sister hostage, was sentenced to 11 years’ jail and ordered to get two strokes of the cane.
Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus meted out the sentence to Ahmad Saidi Mursidi, who pleaded guilty to two charges against him on Tuesday.
On the first count, Ahmad was jailed eight years plus two strokes of the cane for causing grievous injury to Sergeant Patrick Stenis using the machete on July 17, at 2.30pm at a house in Taman Jaya Diri, Sepanggar.
The offence, under Section 326 of the Penal Code, provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and fine, or whipping, on conviction.
On the second count, he received another three years’ imprisonment for hurting Inspector Papilus Suheru, 45, with the same weapon at the same time and place.
The offence, under Section 324 of the Penal Code, provides for a jail term of up to 10 years or with fine or with whipping or with any two of such punishments, upon conviction.
The court ordered Ahmad to serve the jail sentence consecutively from the date of his arrest on July 17.
In mitigation, Ahmad, who was not represented, asked for leniency saying that he was still single.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Hajar Mazlan, urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence due to the seriousness of the offence.
She said both policemen were injured while trying to save Ahmad’s mother and sister. Siti informed the court that he was fit to make the plea based on his psychiatric report.
The court heard that on the said day, a police team went to the house at Taman Jaya Diri after being alerted about a mentally unstable person who had run amok and locked himself, his mother and older sister inside a bedroom.
Police tried to persuade the man to surrender and let go of his hostages but the man, later identified as Ahmad, refused and only released his sister.
After two hours of “negotiation”, the team then forced open the bedroom door to rescue his mother.
Ahmad then slashed the inspector and sergeant with the weapon.
The inspector suffered injury on his left arm while the sergeant was injured on his head and right shoulder.
Ahmad also suffered injuries on his face and mouth while his sister and mother escaped injury.
The motive behind the incident remained unknown.
However, he was receiving treatment as a patient at the Bukit Padang Hospital Mesra and also under the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) surveillance.
