KUCHING: A 31-year-old food delivery rider was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and one stroke of whipping by the Sessions Court here on Wednesday (Oct 28) for snatching a sling bag from a 43-year-old woman.
Judge Shafiza Datuk Abdul Razak Tready imposed the sentence on Mohammad Shafiq Azwan Razaman after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 392 of the Penal Code for robbery.
The court ordered the prison sentence to take effect from the date of conviction.
Under Section 392 of the Penal Code, robbery is punishable with imprisonment for up to 14 years, and the offender may also be liable to a fine or whipping.
The offence was committed at about 2 pm on Oct 21 at Lorong Demak Bayu here.
According to the facts of the case, the complainant was walking along the pavement with her mother when the accused approached them from the opposite direction on a motorcycle.
He then snatched the complainant’s sling bag from her arm while riding past them.
During the ensuing struggle between the complainant, her mother and the accused, the complainant fell to the ground before the accused fled on his motorcycle with the bag.
The complainant suffered losses estimated at RM3,000 and subsequently lodged a police report.
Among the items taken were RM180 in cash, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, a Pro P20 smartphone, her identity card, driving licence, BigPay debit card, CIMB and Maybank cards, as well as a store-value smartcard.
The accused was arrested on Oct 24, and police recovered the stolen items.
Police also seized a black sweater, a pair of blue denim shorts, an Adidas shoe, a Yamaha motorcycle and its key during the arrest.
The court was also informed that the accused had four previous drug-related criminal records and seven other criminal records.
Investigations revealed that the incident was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV), while the complainant positively identified the recovered items as belonging to her.
The complainants’ mother also suffered light injury on her right hand.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Chuah Kai Sheng urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, highlighting the injuries sustained by the complainant’s mother during the incident and the value of the losses involved.
Inspector Muhammad Amirul Azami Ahmad Rasol was the investigating officer while the accused was unrepresented.
