The High Court recently handed a sentence of 12 years’ jail with 12 whippings to a 26-year-old Malaysian man for his involvement in an armed gang robbery.
Judicial Commissioner Muhammed Faisal bin Pehin Datu Juragan Laila Diraja Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Kefli handed the sentence to Muhammad Amin bin Zabidi on March 14, after he changed his plea to guilty.
He initially denied the charge of committing armed robbery on September 14, 2023 with fellow Malaysian Mohd Saiful Rizal bin Sinen and two others.
Mohd Saiful Rizal and his accomplice Indonesian Sakriadi bin Saharuddin had been dealt with by the court earlier for their roles in the crime.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Fitri binti Kiprawi revealed that the defendant met with Mohd Saiful Rizal and the two other accomplices on September 13.
When it was late at night, Mohd Saiful Rizal drove all of them to Tutong District where the defendant and the accomplices were dropped off on the side of the highway near a traffic light at Kampong Sengkarai.
After that, Mohd Saiful Rizal drove to a car park of a commercial building in Tutong District to wait for the defendant and accomplices to contact him again. The defendant and company went on foot to a house where they forced their way through a kitchen door. The defendant snacked on some fruits and sipped some drinks before heading upstairs.
The men kicked down the bedroom doors where the elderly victim and his family members, including grandchildren, were sleeping.
The defendant and accomplices tied up the occupants of the house in the same bedroom.
The defendant, armed with a knife, was tasked to monitor the occupants while his accomplices ransacked the house.
The men stole BND16,000, SGD4,500 and MYR98,000 in cash as well as gold jewellery worth BND53,000. The three men fled the scene and headed for the pickup spot, and later got dropped off at Kampong Junjongan.
The defendant and accomplices continued their journey on foot to illegally cross the Brunei border to enter Limbang, Malaysia.
Later, the four men agreed to meet up at Mohd Saiful Rizal’s house in Limbang to divide up the proceeds from the robbery.
Mohd Saiful Rizal received BND3,000 while the defendant got MYR3,000.
The robbers were apprehended, thanks to the collaboration between Royal Brunei Police Force and Royal Malaysia Police. – Fadley Faisal
