SIBU: The Sessions Court here yesterday (Thurs) sentenced a 38-year-old man to five years’ behind bars and a stroke of whipping for repeated drug substance abuse.
Ismail from Kampung Datu Baru understood the consequences of pleading guilty to the charge when the nature of charge was read and explained to him through an interpreter.
Presiding Sessions Court Judge Marutin Pagan, who handed down the sentence, ordered the accused to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on Nov 25 last year.
According to the charge sheet, the accused was found to have consumed the dangerous drugs of amphetamine and methamphetamine without lawful purpose at Jalan Wawasan at about 1.30 pm on Nov 25 last year. Thereby, he committed an offence under Section 15(1)(a) `of Dangerous Drug Act 1952 (Act 234).
The charge sheet further mentioned that since he had three previous convictions of similar offence, he had thus committed an offence punishable under Section 39C (1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
The Act provides for a jail term of between five years and seven years as well as punishment with whipping up to three strokes if convicted.
During the proceedings, deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Heng Yi Min told the court that on Nov 25 last year at about 1.30pm, Insp Kalidasan Prasad (the complainant) and his team members from Narcotics Crime Investigation Department detained the accused at Jalan Wawasan for suspected of being involved in drug abuse activities.
When an initial screening test of the accused’s urine was conducted, he was found to be positive for drug consumption.
The urine specimen was also sent to Pathology Department of Sarawak General Hospital for analysis.
Heng said investigations revealed that the urine specimen was confirmed by the Pathology Department to be positive for drugs.
The accused, who was not represented by legal counsel, pleaded for leniency in the passing of the sentence.
