Habitual drug addict gets six years’ jail, one lash

KOTA KINABALU: A 33-yearold habitual drug offender was sentenced to six years in jail plus a stroke of the rattan for consuming drugs the third time.

Sessions Court judge Azreena Aziz imposed the sentence on Filipino Euliam Kimus after he pleaded guilty to the charge, yesterday.

She also ordered Euliam to be referred to the Immigration Department after serving his sentence. Euliam had committed the offence at the Kepayan central lockup here at 2pm on March 30.

The offence was framed under Section 15 (1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and read together under Section 39 C (1) of the same Act, which carries a jail term of up to seven years and whipping of not more than three strokes.

In mitigation, the unrepresented Euliam prayed for leniency on the grounds that he has a wife to support who is currently pregnant with their first child.

But deputy public prosecutor Husna Abdul Halim urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused who is a foreigner.

She informed the court that Euliam, apart from his two previous admissions of consuming drugs, had other previous criminal records of theft, housebreaking and retaining stolen property.

Based on the facts, Euliam was arrested by the police in front of a seafood restaurant here on March 29 for a case involving housebreaking.

On the next day, Euliam's urine tested positive for drug abuse and the police sent his urine sample to the pathology laboratory for further analysis. Euliam's urine sample was confirmed positive for Amphetamine and Methamphetamine.

The police also sent identification information of IMM13 document which the police received from Euliam, verbally, to the National Registration Department and it turned out to be invalid.