MUAR: Two former prison inmates, including one who had just been released from prison three days ago for robbery, faced the Sessions Court here today for committing the same crime again last week.
Muhamad Azuan Maula Hashim, 37, and Muhammad Nizamudin Norizan, 34, who had served three and two years in prison respectively, pleaded guilty after the charges were read before Judge Sayani Mohd Nor.
According to the charges, they robbed a 44-year-old man, a grocery shop owner who is also a person with disabilities (OKU), by threatening him with a saw knife in Parit Pulai, Tangkak, at 2.42pm on Dec 26.
The accused were charged under Section 395 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 397 of the same Code, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and whipping.
Based on the facts of the case, the police received a report from the shop owner who said he was robbed by two men armed with a saw knife.
Acting on the report, a police team from the Tangkak district headquarters' Criminal Investigation Department arrested the two suspects in different locations.
One was arrested in Bandar Tasik Selatan, Kuala Lumpur.
The duo's criminal act was also captured on the shop's closed-circuit television (CCTV) system.
Police also found that both suspects had previous criminal records and had been imprisoned before.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Arif Marzuki appeared for the prosecution while both defendants were unrepresented.
The court sentenced each of the accused to 10 years in prison and three strokes of the cane.