Ex-UiTM student gets 10 years, rotan for drug offence

Ex-UiTM student gets 10 years, rotan for drug offence SHAH ALAM: A former student of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) was sentenced to 10 years jail and 10 strokes of the cane by the High Court here yesterday after pleading guilty to an alternative charge of possessing 230.2gm of cannabis three years ago. Justice Datuk K.N. Segara ordered Fazil Ibrahim, 29, to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on May 22, 2002. Fazil, a former student of the Art and Design Faculty, admitted having the dangerous drugs on Jalan 4/6, Pandan Perdana, Ampang, about 8.50pm on May 22, 2002. He was charged under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and sentenced under Section 39A (2) of the act and liable to imprisonment of not less than five years jail and up to 10 strokes of the cane. Earlier, Fazil was charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries a mandatory death sentence upon conviction. The prosecution, however, amended the charge after the defence made a representation to the Attorney-General's Chambers. Based on the facts of the case presented by DPP Wan Saharuddin Wan Ladin, the accused was detained by a police team from the Narcotics Division of the Ampang Jaya district police headquarters. Upon inspection, police found a red plastic package containing 230.2gm of cannabis. Justice Segara, in passing sentence, said the court took into account the accused had not tried to escape when he was arrested and had pleaded guilty to the alternative charge. Earlier, defence counsel Mohd Taqiyuddin Yahya pleaded for a minimal sentence as it was the first offence committed by the accused. ? Bernama