KOTA KINABALU: A police constable, previously attached to the General Operations Force (GOF), was sentenced to eight years' jail and fined RM40,000 by the Tawau Magistrate's Court for driving under the influence, which caused an accident that seriously injured a motorcyclist in September last year.
Mohd Rizal Mohd Najar, 46, a father of three children, was also ordered by Magistrate Don Stiwin Malanjum to serve an additional year in jail if he fails to pay the fine and he will be disqualified from holding a driving licence for seven years.
Mohd Rizal, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency as he still had to support his children including two studying at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Penang and UiTM Kota Kinabalu, and his youngest was still in primary school on a monthly salary of RM3,000.
In his plea, Mohd Rizal also regretted the accident and the injuries suffered by the victim and wanted to apologise to the victim.
Deputy public prosecutor Wildan Firdaus Ahmad Fazly, however, urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence in view of his high blood alcohol level and the serious injuries caused to the motorist.
He was charged under Section 44(1A)(b) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for drunk driving under the influence of alcohol that caused an accident at Jalan St Patrick in Tawau at 8.30am on Sept 1, 2025.
Mohd Rizal was serving with GOF Battalion 14 in Tawau at that time.
