12 years, cane for ciggie robbery with sword
KOTA KINABALU: A jobless man who robbed a store of a pack of cigarettes with a samurai sword was put behind bars for 12 years plus one stroke of the cane.
Sessions Court judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim imposed the sentence on Mohd Khairol Kamis, 28, after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 392 of the Penal Code and read together under Section 397 of the same Code.
The charge carries a jail term of up to 14 years and also liable to a fine or whipping, upon conviction.
Mohd Khairol had robbed the Speedmart store while armed with the dangerous weapon at Taman Limauan Kinarut, Papar at 8.50pm on October 3.
In mitigation, the accused who was not represented prayed for a lenient fine on the grounds that he was under a lot of stress due to the people around him who talked badly about him although he had tried his best to change and be better.
He also said that he had taken alcoholic drink during that time in order to calm his mind.
Mohd Khairol also told the court that he had made a big mistake and wanted to help his parents as well as his six other siblings.
In reply, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Khairuddin Idris urged the court to impose the maximum sentence against the accused.
He stressed the accused was armed with a samurai sword, which caused fear not only to the victim but also to the public at large.
Mohd Khairuddin added that the depression suffered by the accused did not legalise the offence he committed.
Based on the facts, the accused, who covered his face using black cloth, entered the store while armed with a samurai sword.
The accused the demanded RM200 from one of the workers by saying, “Bos ini adalah rompakan dan bagi saya duit RM200 (Boss, this is a robbery and give me RM200).”
However, the worker said that he had no money and so the accused asked for money from the cash drawer at the counter instead.
The worker then told the accused that he could not open the cash drawer as it was locked.
Following that, the accused tried to open the cash drawer himself but failed. Failing to get the money, he asked for a pack of cigarettes instead and left.
A police report was lodged by the store worker and the police managed to arrest the accused.
Mohd Khairol was identified through identification parade and there was CCTV footage of his face at the store.