Man gets 15 years’ jail, 10 lashes over cannabis

KOTA KINABALU: A 28-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years’ jail plus 10 whippings by the Sessions Court here yesterday for possessing 179.9 grams of cannabis.

Judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamed handed down the sentence on Mohd Syafiq Abdul Ghaffar, 28, after he admitted to committing the offence at Putatan Platinum Apartment, Putatan at 4.15pm on January 30 last year.

The offence is framed under Section 12 (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punishable under Section 39A (2)(f) of the same Act, which provides for an imprisonment for life or a jail term of not less than five years and to whippings of not less than 10 strokes of the cane.

Counsel Sugumar Balakrishnan, who represented Mohd Syafiq, said in mitigation that his client, who is a first-time offender, had no previous criminal record and pleaded guilty to the charge.

He also said there was no aggravating factor in the case and the weight of the drugs showed that Mohd Syafiq was only a drug addict.

In reply, deputy public prosecutor Hafizah Zahidah Abdullah urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused.

She said pleading guilty to an offence was not an automatic reason for the accused to get a lesser sentence.

Public interest must be taken in utmost consideration, she added.

Based on the facts of the case, the drugs were found in a box under a table in a bedroom.

As the box was opened, five large packets consisting of 14 smaller plastics in each packet were found containing compressed lumps.

The drugs were then sent to the Chemistry Department for analysis and was later confirmed consisting 179.9grams of cannabis.