Kota Kinabalu: An undocumented man was sentenced to 17 years in jail and five strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here after being found guilty of gang robbery involving an e-hailing driver.
Judge Zaini Fisher @ Fisal imposed the sentence on Musa Normani, 32, at the end of the defence case.
Musa was found guilty of robbing Fheyreld Ladius of an iPhone 11, together with an accomplice who remains at large, at about 10pm on Aug 2, 2025, at the hilltop of a Chinese cemetery at Mile 5, Jalan Tuaran. The pair were armed with a knife during the incident.
He was convicted under Section 395 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 397, which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
Musa, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency, saying he had many dependants.
The court heard that the victim, an e-hailing driver, was alone in his vehicle at night when Musa and his accomplice directed him to an isolated location before carrying out the robbery.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Fadzri Azham Zainudin submitted that Musa was an active participant who demanded the victim’s belongings and threatened to stab him, placing the knife against the victim.
The prosecution said the victim was particularly vulnerable as he was working alone at night, outnumbered and confronted with a knife.
It also submitted that Musa had deliberately taken advantage of the victim’s occupation as an e-hailing driver to gain access to him before carrying out the robbery.
The prosecution further submitted that the case warranted a substantial sentence as it involved an armed gang robbery and had proceeded to full trial, involving four prosecution witnesses and three defence witnesses.
The prosecution said the sentence should serve the purposes of punishment and deterrence.
Zaini ordered Musa to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on Aug 6, 2025.
He was also ordered to be referred to the Immigration Department upon completion of his sentence.
