KUCHING: Two men were each sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment and three strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here for committing gang robbery and injuring an elderly couple at their home in Bau last August.
Akmal Najmuddin Jeperidin, 32, and Horyezad Hosen, 24, pleaded guilty to one charge under Sections 395 and 397 of the Penal Code before Judge Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar.
Both accused were ordered to serve their sentences from the date of their arrest; Akmal on Nov 7 and Horyezad on Nov 12.
According to the charge sheet, they committed the offence on Aug 9, at 2pm, at the couple’s home in Jalan Taiton, Bau.
They escaped with RM100,800 in cash, two gold chains, a gold ring, a wallet containing the victims’ identification cards and three bank cards, and two mobile phones, while armed with a deadly weapon.
The estimated total loss was RM130,000.
Upon conviction, the offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping. Since both were armed with deadly weapons during the robbery, they are also liable to additional whipping under the Penal Code.
Based on the fact of the case, police received a report from the victim regarding the robbery and immediately launched an investigation.
The incident occurred when two masked men, one of whom was armed with a machete, tied up the victim, his wife, their son and their granddaughter using adhesive tape around their wrists and mouths.
They then entered the victim’s bedroom and ordered him to open the safe, but he refused. One of them kicked the victim in the waist and swung the machete towards him.
They later found the key to the victim’s safe, opened it and took all the cash amounting to about RM100,800 belonging to the victim.
Investigations later led to the arrest of Akmal on Nov 7 while Horyezad was arrested on Nov 12.
Investigations found that Akmal and Horyezad had broken into the house and robbed the victims. After the robbery, they disposed of the stolen items.
Both Akmal and Horyezad were charged under Sections 395/397 of the Penal Code for committing gang robbery while armed with a machete.
The case was prosecuted by deputy public prosecutor Adriana Maisarah Mohd Farid while the accused were unrepresented.
