Man who slashed lawyer jailed one year, fined RM10,000

KUALA LUMPUR: A labourer who was previously fined RM5,000 for slashing the head and left hand of a lawyer, who had rebuked him for not wearing a face mask in a supermarket, was today ordered to serve a year in jail by the High Court here.

Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah also imposed a RM10,000 fine against M. Samasiveng, 57, after reviewing the sentence meted out by the Selayang Magistrate's Court on March 11.

"After hearing submissions from both parties, the court found that the sentence handed down earlier was inadequate.

"Therefore, the court is setting aside the Magistrate's Court's decision and imposing a one-year jail sentence starting today and a RM10,000 fine in default 12 months' jail against the accused," the judge said.

On March 11, Samasiveng was fined RM5,000 by the Selayang Magistrate's Court after he pleaded guilty to a charge of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon on Gurcharan Singh, 60, at a supermarket in Taman Bersatu Rawang, Gombak, last March 9.

The charge was framed under Section 324 of the Penal Code which provides an imprisonment for up to 10 years or with fine or whipping or any two of the punishments, if found guilty.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Isa Mohamed during submissions said that as a Malaysian citizen, the accused should have been more sensitive to the current COVID-19 situation in the country by not smoking and removing his face masks when he was in public spaces.

"According to the facts of the case, the accused had waited for the victim outside the supermarket after being reprimanded and this showed that it was a premeditated crime.

"The accused then took a machete from his car and this shows that he did not act in self-defence. An attack using a machete can cause death to the victim," he said.

Lawyer T.P Aravind Raj, representing Samasiveng, requested for leniency saying that his client had to take care of his wife and grandchildren.

-- BERNAMA