KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — A 44-year-old father of seven was sentenced to four years in prison and one stroke of the rotan after pleading guilty to robbing a foreign national to settle debts with a loan shark in Batu Pahat.
According to Berita Harian, Sessions Court Judge Osman Affendi Mohd Shalleh told Zulri Jaafar that “there is no easy path in life… what you did (the robbery) was not the right way, and your actions have burdened your wife and children.”
Zulri, unemployed, told the court he committed the robbery to support his family.
The national daily reported that he was charged with snatching a bag, passport, and RM560 in cash from a 35-year-old Nepalese man at Taman Beroleh in Batu Pahat at around 5.30pm on September 7.
The charge, under Section 392 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment and a fine or caning.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharifah Natasha Syed Ahmad urged the court to impose a suitable sentence, saying the accused’s explanation was not a valid excuse.
“Islam forbids its followers from committing crimes like this. The accused had no reason to act (rob) just to provide for his family,” she said.
Police investigations revealed the victim was walking and pushing his bicycle with a bag containing valuables in the front basket when the accused approached and snatched it.
Two days later, Zulri was arrested, and he later identified the motorcycle, clothing, and location where he burned the stolen bag and passport.
