KUCHING: A local man was sentenced to six years in prison and three strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here on Tuesday (Jan 10) for robbing an elderly man at knifepoint and hijacking his car in September, last year.
Accused Mohd Niqa Qastalani Mohamad Ismail, 27, pleaded guilty to charges under Section 392 of the Penal Code read together with Section 397 of the same code before Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman.
Conviction provides for a sentence of up to 14 years in prison and can be fined or caned.
He allegedly committed the act at a dead end behind a flat building in Jalan Matang on September 30 at around 4.10 pm.
According to the facts of the case, during the incident, the 63-year-old complainant was about to return home when an unknown man approached him asking for a ride home.
Upon arrival at the dead end, the accused forced the complainant to open the back bonnet of the car.
After opening, the complainant’s car key which was still stuck behind the bonnet was immediately taken by the accused and proceeded to threaten the victim to hand over his mobile phone before he would hand over the car keys.
However, the complainant refused to hand over his mobile phone. The accused then took out a knife and pointed it towards the complainant.
The complainant then fled for safety on the main road while asking for help. The accused then started the engine of the car and fled the vehicle.
During the incident, the complainant did not suffer any injuries.
The complainant then made a police report for further action leading to the arrest of the accused on October 4 at his residence in Taman Suria Jaya.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Aiman Mutallib Mohamad Shariff asked the court to impose a heavy sentence on the accused because of the seriousness of the offence and the safety of the public.
