A 29-year-old e-hailing driver was sentenced to jail and caning after he pleaded guilty to robbing a gold store and injuring the owner’s wife in the process.
The accused, Melvin Yen Wei Shern, was handed the sentence by Judge Haderiah Siri at the Melaka Sessions Court yesterday (June 10), reported Kosmo.
M’sian man robs gold store to help GF repay RM200K debt
According to the charge sheet, Yen had robbed and intentionally caused hurt to 70-year-old Koh Kim Lye at the Tai Kwong Goldsmith Shop along Jalan Jawa, Kampung Jawa, on May 22 at around 11am.
Yen pleaded guilty to the charge framed under Section 394 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years with a fine or caning upon conviction.
During the court hearing held on May 30 prior to Yen’s sentencing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Wardah Ishhar asked the court to set bail at RM20,000, to which Yen’s lawyer Kent Tan Chow Teng did not object.
Tan later told reporters that Yen had committed the crime to help his girlfriend pay off a debt of RM200,000 she owed to three illegal moneylenders in another state.
He also added Yen’s family didn’t post bail as they wanted him to learn his lesson, reported The Star.
Jailed 5 years & caned once
In court, Tan pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying that Yen had to take care of his elderly parents who were suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhamad Ehsan Nasarudin said an appropriate sentence must be handed out in order to take into account the losses suffered by the victim.
Yen was later sentenced to five years in jail and one cane stroke.
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