KOTA KINABALU: A jobless man was sentenced by the Sessions Court here, to seven years' imprisonment for committing armed robbery.
Mohd Sikri Bidin, 23, was also ordered to be given one stroke of the cane.
Judge Azreena Aziz meted out the sentence on Sikri after he admitted to robbing a woman, 42, of her handphone.
Armed with a knife, the accused committed the offence in Bukit Tampalagus, Kampung Melalia in Sipitang at 7.05am on July 22.
The charge, under Section 392 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 397 of the same code, provides imprisonment for up to 14 years, and is liable to a fine or whipping, upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, the incident occurred when the victim was hiking in Bukit Tampalagus alone.
She was approached by a motorcyle rider (later identified as the accused), who suddenly pointed a 12cm-long knife at her, telling the victim to hand over her handphone.
The accused also asked her for her handphone's password before fleeing the scene.
The victim later lodged a police report and the accused was arrested on July 25 in Kampung Lubok Weston, Beaufort.
The victim's handphone was recovered, and police also seized several items, including the knife used during the robbery.
In mitigation, the unrepresented accused asked for leniency saying that he was unemployed.
He said he was desperate and needed money to eat.
In reply, deputy public prosecutor Adibah Saiful Bahri urged for a deterrent sentence due to the seriousness of the offence.
She argued that the accused was armed with a knife, which was a dangerous weapon that could threaten the safety of the public as well as cause death.
The court ordered the accused to run his custodial sentence from the date of arrest and the handphone exhibit to be returned to the rightful owner.