Kota Kinabalu: A 20-year-old Filipino who had in possession a machete in the public without any permit, was jailed five years and ordered to get two strokes of the cane.
Khalid pleaded guilty before Sessions Court Judge Amir shah Amir Hassan, to the charge against him on Friday.
Khalid was found having the weapon at 11.30pm on May 12 this year by the roadside in Lorong Taman Bukit Setia 1, Sepanggar, here.
The offence under section 6(1)(a) of the Corrosive, Explosive and Dangerous Weapon Act 1985 carries a jail term of between five and 10 years, and whipping, on conviction.
The court ordered Khalid to serve the jail sentence from the date of his arrest and referred to the Immigration Department after completing the jail sentence.
During mitigation, Khalid who was not represented, asked for leniency saying that he has a wife and two children, to look after.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Shafeerah Mad Iskim urged the court to impose a heavy sentence the grounds that it was a serious and rampant.
She submitted that the act by Khalid had posted threat to the public because bringing a dangerous weapon in the public that might cause death.
Nurul also told the court that Khalid was sentenced to four months’ jail for entering the State illegally.
The court heard that while the policemen were on patrol duty to prevent crime when they saw a man in suspicious behaviour while holding an object at the said place.
The police then detained the man who later identified as Khalid and the object he held was a machete.
Khalid did not have any permit to carry the weapon in the public. He also failed to produce his identification document to the police.
