PUTRAJAYA: Two men avoided the death penalty on Thursday (Sept 7) when their charges of drug trafficking were reduced to drug possession. Chow Kum Yuen, 37, was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 20 strokes of the cane, while S. Inthiran, 31, received a 12-year prison term and 10 strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to drug possession charges before the Federal Court.
The cases were heard separately by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Federal Court judges Datuk Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal and Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang.
The court overturned the duo’s conviction and death sentences for trafficking and replaced them with charges of drug possession. This decision came after Chow’s lawyer, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, and Inthiran’s counsel, Datuk Baljit Singh, informed the court that the Attorney General’s Chambers had accepted their representations to substitute the charges.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Amril Johari confirmed this in Chow’s case, while DPP Parvin Hameedah Natchiar confirmed it in Inthiran’s case.
Chow, a mechanic, pleaded guilty to possessing various drugs at a house in Kuala Lumpur in April 2017. On Nov 22, 2019, he was found guilty of trafficking and sentenced to death by the High Court. He was also convicted of possessing cannabis and received a separate 10-year prison term and 10 strokes of the cane.
Chow appealed only against his conviction and death sentence for trafficking to the Court of Appeal, but his appeal was dismissed on March 9 last year.
In Thursday’s hearing, Justice Tengku Maimun sentenced Chow to five years in prison for each charge of possessing certain drugs and 18 years in prison and 10 strokes of the cane for the remaining charges. The sentences will run concurrently from his arrest date.
Chow will receive 24 strokes of the cane instead of 30, as stated in Section 288 (5) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Meanwhile, Inthiran, a lorry driver, pleaded guilty to possessing heroin in front of a mini market in Perak in March 2017. Initially, he was found guilty of trafficking and sentenced to death on April 6, 2018. His appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed on March 10 last year.
Justice Tengku Maimun ordered Inthiran to serve 12 years in prison, starting from the date of his arrest, and also to receive 10 strokes of the cane. – Bernama
Credit: The Star : News Feed
