Kota Kinabalu: A 37-year-old retired army from Kedah was jailed five years and ordered given a stroke of cane for taking syabu for the third time.
Mohd Ikmal Amir pleaded guilty before Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan, to the charge against him on Wednesday.
Mohd Ikmal repeatedly took the drugs at 9am on Jan 21, this year after his urine tested positive for drugs at the Papar police station and he has two previous conviction records for drugs.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});The offence under Section 39C (1) (b) of the Dangerous Drugs Act carries a jail term of between five and seven years and whipping, on conviction.
The court ordered the accused to serve the jail sentence from the date of his arrest.
After completing his jail sentence, Mohd Ikmal was ordered to be placed under police supervision for three years.
Before meting out the punishment, the court advised Mohd Ikmal not to repeat the offence in future.
The judge hoped that the punishment would also set as a reminder or deter not only Mohd Ikmal but also the public at large from taking syabu.
In mitigation, Mohd Ikmal, who was unrepresented, asked for leniency and requested the jail term to be served in Sungai Buloh as he did not have any family member in Sabah.
He told the court that he stayed with the drug addicts and was influenced to take drugs.
Mohd Ikmal, who never not married, also claimed that he had promised to his mother that he would return home once he becomes a successful person but cannot do so as he did not have money.
The prosecution urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence as Mohd Ikmal was a habitual offender.