Saved from ‘life in prison’

PUTRAJAYA: Two former real estate agents were sentenced to 30 years in jail by the Court of Appeal here for abducting a businesswoman in 2015 for a RM2mil ransom.

A three-member bench comprising Court of Appeal Justices Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and SM Komathy Suppiah dismissed the appeal against conviction from Lew Ngee Chin and Chin Yoon Tack @ Chin Yoon Tock.

The court, however, set aside the life imprisonment term imposed by the High Court on the duo and substituted it with 30 years’ jail, Bernama reported.

Lew was spared the cane as he turned 50 years old in August last year while Chin, 47, was ordered by the court to be whipped twice.

Meanwhile, the court allowed the appeal brought by the unemployed third appellant Telaha Sanchis, 42, to set aside his conviction and life imprisonment.

In delivering the court’s decision on Lew and Chin’s appeal against their conviction, Justice Vazeer said there was overwhelming evidence to establish a case beyond reasonable doubt.

He said the victim had identified the duo in a car which was used to abduct her and in the shophouse where she was held captive.

The three men were sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court on March 9, 2020 after they were found guilty of abducting and wrongfully confining Lim Hoe, who was 63-years-old then, with intention to seek RM2mil as ransom at a centre in Taman Sea Kelana Jaya, Selangor at about 6pm on Nov 10, 2015.

According to the facts of the case, the victim was abducted and was confined in the shop house in Taman Bukit Anggerik, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, for seven days before being released near the Sentul LRT station on Nov 16, 2015 after the money was left at a spot along the south bound New Klang Valley Expressway.

Police then arrested the three men and recovered RM700,000.

Lawyers Goh Kim Lian, K. Viknesvaran and N. Ratnavathy represented Lew, Chin and Telaha respectively.