Filipino jailed 13 years for attempt to murder Aussie man
KOTA KINABALU: A Filipino labourer who attempted to kill an Australian man by slashing his head was sentenced to 13 years' jail by the Sessions Court here, yesterday.
Judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim imposed the sentence on Roy Samad Totong, 37, after he maintained his plea of guilty when the charge was read to him again.
He had tried to kill Daniel Barry Broadhurst, 46, with a machete by the roadside at Jalan Kampung Kiwoi in Tamparuli, Tuaran at 2pm on January 24.
The offence, framed under Section 307 of the Penal Code, carries a jail term of up to 20 years, upon conviction.
In mitigation, the accused, who was not represented, prayed for a lenient sentence on the grounds that he had to look after his children and his old mother.
Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ali Imran urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence to serve as a lesson to the accused and the public at large which also signalled that such violent crime should not be cooperated by society.
He said the injuries inflicted on the victim were very serious and life threatening and the accused, moreover is an illegal immigrant who is serving a sentence for an offence of entering Sabah illegally.
Therefore, he said the prosecution did not see any reason for leniency towards the accused and requested for the maximum sentence to be imposed against the accused.
The court ordered for the custodial sentence to take effect from the day of the accused's arrest on February 14.
Based on the facts, the accused attempted to kill the victim over a dissatisfaction against the victim, who had asked him and his child to move out from the victim's house.
The victim was seriously injured in the machete attack with three slashes on the back of his head and two slashes on his hand and was found unconscious, laying on the roadside in a pool of blood.
A call was received at the Tuaran police station, which was made by a member of the public at about 2.49pm on January 24 after he saw the injured victim by the roadside.