Man jailed, caned for injuring elderly mom

KOTA KINABALU: A 37-year-old man was jailed for 48 months and ordered to be given four strokes of the cane for injuring his 74-yearold mother with a machete.

Magistrate Jessica Ombou Kakayun imposed the sentence on Azmi @ Andrew Ghani after he maintained his guilty plea under Section 324 of the Penal Code when his case came up for sentencing yesterday.

The indictment carries a jail term of up to 10 years or with a fine or with whipping or with any two of such punishments, upon conviction.

Azmi admitted to causing hurt to his mother at a house in Kampung Tunoh, Penampang at 12.30pm on Nov 1, 2016.

During the previous hearing on May 26, in mitigation, Azmi claimed he was not aware of the incident and told the court that he had mental problems since 1993.

He further said he was a disabled card holder.

Prosecuting officer Inspector Mohd Rasydan Jasni however told the court that a report from Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang was received which stated that the accused was fit to plead.

The facts of the case stated that Azmi had beaten, kicked and tried to slash his mother, causing her to suffer bruises all over her body, eyes and a wound on her left hand.

Investigation revealed that the victim had just arrived home from her sister’s house when the accused suddenly pulled her hand and dragged her into the house.

The accused scolded her and hit her with an umbrella, and then forced her to go upstairs and hit her repeatedly with a belt.

The victim tried to shout for help, but the accused gagged her with a towel and wrapped the towel around her neck before hitting her head with a machete and causing a wound on her hand.

The victim was taken to a hospital here while the accused was arrested on Nov 8, 2016 following a police report.

In a separate case, Wong Nyuk Ho, 57, was fined RM2,000, in default, three months’ jail by the same court for hurting another man.

The accused, who was represented by counsel Alex Lee, pleaded guilty under Section 323 of the Penal Code which is punishable by a jail term of up to one year or a fine or both, upon conviction.

The accused was arrested for injuring the 31-year-old victim at a coffee shop in Penampang on February 19.

The prosecution told the court that the victim had lodged a report stating that he was beaten by a group of men due to a misunderstanding.

The accused was having injuries on his abdomen and face and received treatment at a hospital.

Investigation revealed that the accused admitted to beating the victim as he was angry at that time.

In pleading for a lenient sentence, the counsel told the court that his client’s wife went to Australia to work and the accused claimed that the victim never paid the salary of his wife.

The counsel urged the court to give his client a non-custodial sentence.