KUCHING: A 37-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and 10 strokes of the cane for having 35.53 grammes of methamphetamine three years ago.
Sessions Court Judge Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar handed the sentence to Bong Sing Juing on Wednesday after finding him guilty of an offence framed under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same Act.
The court ordered the sentence to take effect from the date of his arrest on March 25, 2023.
Under Section 39A(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, the offence carries a punishment of life imprisonment or imprisonment for a term of not less than five years, as well as whipping of up to 10 strokes.
Bong committed the offence on March 25, 2023, at a hotel near Jalan Tun Jugah, where he was found in possession of 35.53 grammes of methamphetamine.
In delivering his judgment, Noorhisham said he had considered the mitigation advanced by defence counsel, the aggravating factors submitted by the prosecution, the interests of both the accused and the public, prevailing sentencing trends for similar offences, the type of drug involved, and the overall circumstances of the case.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution called six witnesses, while the defence called one witness, Bong.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Adriana Maisarah Mohd Faridh, while Bong was represented by counsel Voon Lee Shan.
