7 Years, 12 Strokes For Ex-Army Man

Bandar Seri Begawan - A 24-year-old former soldier received a minimum sentence of seven years jail and 12 strokes of the cane yesterday when he pleaded guilty to stealing various prepaid cards costing more than $2,000 and large sums of money from two retail shops last year.

Hj Abd Azis Hj Kadir, who was suspended from the Logistics Depot of the Bolkiah Camp in June last year, said he committed theft as he was under pressure to settle his debts.

He also pleaded guilty in the High Court yesterday to consuming methylamphetamine or locally known as ‘syabu’. The Chief Justice Mohammed Saied sentenced him to two months imprisonment, which is to run concurrently.

The court heard that the father of two was on duty at the Bolkiah Camp on April 10 last year when he went out to get some food at about 9:30 am with his friend, another army personnel, using his blue Toyota Echo and never returned.

The defendant was driving the said car while his friend was at the front passenger’s seat. When both of them reached Kampong Limau Manis, the defendant planned to rob a retail shop but his friend hesitated and decided to wait in the car. The defendant stopped somewhere at Kampong Limau Manis and took off both the front and rear licence plates of his car.

The defendant saw a retail shop at Kampong Pengkalan Batu in Limau Manis and parked his car outside Syarikat Mohd Nirwan. At the time there was only one shopkeeper, the court heard. The defendant went inside the shop and took a bottle of drink from the refrigerator and put it on the cashier’s counter.

He gave the shop assistant $10 for the drink. As the shop assistant was about to take out the change from the cash register, he went behind the counter and pointed a knife to the shop assistant’s neck.

Hj Abd Azis demanded the shop assistant to take out the money from the cash register but the shop assistant refused as he was scared and just stood still. He then opened the drawer under the cash register and took one plastic container containing 91 various prepaid cards and cash amounting to $100 and ran to his car and drove off with his friend towards Kampong Kulapis.

Half an hour later both saw another retail shop, S.P.A.J.S Minimart, and decided to commit another robbery. Again the defendant went inside the shop while his friend stood waiting outside.

The defendant used similar tactics and as the shop assistant stood motionless with a knife being pointed at his neck, he quickly took out a tray containing $1,300 from the cash register and pulled the drawer under the cash register from where he took a plastic container containing 56 various prepaid cards.

According to the Deputy Public Prosecutor, Hjh Anifa Rafiza Hj Abd Ghani, the defendant’s friend is also facing charges. He is due to appear in the courthouse on January 12.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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