Car broker jailed five years, whipping for armed gang-robbery

A car broker was sentenced to five years' jail and two strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here today for committing armed gang-robbery last Monday. Judge Dazuki Ali handed down the sentence on Azizi Zainal Abidin, 40, who pleaded guilty to the charge. Azizi was ordered to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on June 17 this year. He, and another man still at large, were charged with committing gang robbery on two Thai masseuses, Somkhit, 37, and Sai, 58, and robbing them of RM1,000 belonging to Bagus Thai Massage at No 8-1, Jalan 14/149L, Bandar Baru Seri Petaling, Brickfields, at 8.20pm last June 17. Somkhit was slashed on the back with a machete, while Sai was sprayed with tear gas in the robbery. In mitigation, Azizi, who was unrepresented, said his wife was not working and he had to support an ailing mother and two school-going children.