KUCHING: A 36-year-old man was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and two strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here today after changing his plea to guilty to a charge of self-administering dangerous drugs.
Judge Iris Awen Jon imposed the sentence on Chong Hen Sen after he admitted to the charge at the defence stage of the trial.
Chong was also ordered to undergo two years of police supervision upon completing his prison sentence.
Chong was charged with administering to himself dangerous drugs, namely amphetamine and methamphetamine, at about 2.20 pm on March 5, 2023, at the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) office at the Kuching Police Headquarters (IPD).
The offence was framed under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punishable under Section 39C(1)(b) of the same Act, which provides for a jail term of between five and seven years, and whipping of up to three strokes, upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, police officer conducted an initial urine screening test on Chong after suspecting his involvement in drug abuse activities.
The urine sample was later tested and returned a positive result for amphetamine and methamphetamine.
A subsequent pathology report dated March 16, 2023 confirmed the presence of both drugs in the sample.
Investigations also revealed that Chong had two previous convictions under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Chong was initially charged on Jan 10, 2024 and pleaded not guilty to the charge. Bail was not granted under Section 41B of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Chong, represented by court-appointed counsel Russell Lim from the National Legal Aid Foundation, pleaded guilty at the end of the prosecution’s case after a prima facie case was established through seven witnesses.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Chuah Kai Seng.
