Zookeeper gets 10 years for supporting IS

> Accused also found guilty of having materials on terror group

KUALA LUMPUR: A zookeeper was jailed a total of 10 years for supporting the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group via the Telegram application and for possessing IS-related paraphernalia.

High Court judge Datuk Indera Mohd Sofian Tan Sri Abd Razak, in sentencing Mohd Sharullizam Ramli, 31, said the guilty plea was not a must for an accused to be given privilege.

The offence was committed at Batu 11, Gombak, between March 25 and June 29 last year.

Mohd Sharullizam was also sentenced to a three-year jail term for having in his possession a flag, a headband and a car sticker with the IS logo.

The offence was committed at 1.20pm on July 19, 2016.

However, the accused will only serve a 10-year jail term, as the judge ordered for both sentences to run concurrently, from the date of his arrest on July 19, 2016.

In mitigating for a lenient sentence, defence counsel N. Sivanesan said his client works at Zoo Negara and earns a salary of RM1,300.

He also told the court that Mohd Sharullizam’s wife, who works at the same zoo, was warded in hospital for depression following his arrest.

Sivanesan said the accused has a stepchild aged 12 and a two-and-half-year-old child, adding that his wife is unable to support the family on her own with her meagre income.

The counsel said Mohd Sharullizam was only involved with the IS Telegram group for one and a half years, and was not an active member.

Deputy public prosecutor Noor Syazwani Mohamad Sobry said the accused had no previous convictions, but asked the court to consider the seriousness of the offence.

She said the sentence meted should serve as a deterrent to the public not to commit such crimes, and asked the judge to take judicial notice over the increasing number of terrorism-related cases in Malaysia.