SIBU: A man has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to stabbing a customer at a coffee shop.
The Sessions Court here on Wednesday (April 15) also imposed a fine of RM10,000, in default 10 months’ jail, on the accused, Tan Hoe Ting, 58.
Tan, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lighter sentence during mitigation, claiming that the victim had previously bullied him.
DPP Nuralisa Natasha Nazrulzam, however, urged the court to impose a proportionate sentence.
According to the charge, Tan was accused of intentionally causing grievous hurt to a 56-year-old man by using a knife, an act which could have caused death, on the sidewalk of a coffee shop in Jalan Bengkel at about 5.30am on April 6.
The offence is punishable under Section 326 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment, and also provides for a fine or whipping upon conviction.
Based on the facts of the case, at about 6.30am on April 6, the police received a call from a man identified as Kiew, who reported bloodstains on the pavement at Jalan Bengkel.
Police later arrested the accused about an hour later to assist investigations.
Investigations revealed that at about 5.30am that day, the victim was having breakfast with a friend at the coffee shop when the accused arrived and stabbed him in the back of the left side of the neck with a knife.
The injured victim managed to turn towards the accused, who then allegedly attempted to attack the victim’s friend, who managed to evade the assault.
The victim then threw a chair at the accused, who fled the scene.
